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Tobacco 21 Bill Clears Another Major Hurdle in Minnesota House

ST. PAUL (3/28/19) – The bill to raise the tobacco age to 21 cleared another major committee in the Minnesota House. Last night the House Health and Human Services Finance Division heard the Tobacco 21 bill (HF331) and laid it over for possible inclusion in the House HHS omnibus bill. Earlier this week, two Minnesota cities voted to raise their tobacco age to 21, bringing the state’s total of Tobacco 21 cities and counties to 29.

Minnesotans for a Smoke-Free Generation, a coalition of more than 60 organizations that share a common goal of saving Minnesota youth from a lifetime of tobacco addiction, thanked Committee Chair Representative Tina Liebling and House chief author Rep. Heather Edelson for their leadership on this lifesaving bill.

“Communities across the state have shown that Minnesota is ready for Tobacco 21,” said Molly Moilanen, Vice President at ClearWay Minnesota^SM and Co-Chair of Minnesotans for a Smoke-Free Generation. “Our young people are facing an epidemic of nicotine addiction and we must do more to protect them from Big Tobacco. The bottom line is that almost 95 percent of adult smokers started by age 21, so preventing addiction means keeping people from starting before then. Raising the tobacco age will help get tobacco products out of our schools, reduce tobacco use and save lives.”

“Our decades-long progress to reduce tobacco addiction has been disrupted and we cannot sit by and watch our kids develop lifetime addictions,” said House chief author Rep. Heather Edelson. “The good news is that research and practice show Tobacco 21 will prevent youth initiation. This bill is very important to me because, as a mom, I want to help protect all Minnesota kids. We know nicotine primes the brain for future addiction and we must work together to take on this epidemic.”

Raising the tobacco sale age to 21 will help reduce youth smoking and save lives. The National Academy of Medicine estimates that Tobacco 21 would reduce smoking among 15-to-17-year-olds by 25 percent. Raising the tobacco age would help accomplish this goal by making it harder for teens to buy tobacco products themselves or to access them through friends, classmates and teammates.

The U.S. Surgeon General is calling teen e-cigarette use a national epidemic due to a dramatic increase. Health experts, parents, teachers and many others are concerned because nicotine in any form harms the adolescent brain and may prime young brains for addiction. The 2017 Minnesota Youth Tobacco Survey found youth tobacco use rose for the first time since 2000, driven primarily by use of e-cigarettes and flavored tobacco products.

Minnesotans for a Smoke-Free Generation urged legislators to prioritize Minnesota youth and pass Tobacco 21 this session. In the Senate, the Health and Human Services Finance and Policy Committee passed the companion Tobacco 21 bill (SF463) and referred it to the Senate Judiciary and Public Safety Finance and Policy Committee, which has not yet held a hearing on the bill.

“When it comes to the Legislature, when there is a will there is a way – and local communities have demonstrated that Minnesota is ready and willing to protect our kids from Big Tobacco,” Moilanen added. “In the coming days and weeks, we hope that Minnesota legislators will stand up for our health by passing Tobacco 21.”

More info: Tobacco 21 fact sheet, Tobacco 21 Minnesota map

Key Facts:

• Nicotine is addictive and can harm the adolescent brain. Source: U.S. Surgeon General 
• More than $100 million/year: how much the tobacco industry spends every year marketing and advertising their products in Minnesota. Source:Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids
• Nearly 95 percent: of addicted adult smokers started before age 21. Source: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (Results from the 2010 National Survey on Drug Use and Health).

State and federal health officials are alarmed by surging youth nicotine use

• In a health advisory, the Minnesota Department of Health called youth nicotine addiction a “major health concern” because nicotine in e-cigarettes can prime youth for future addiction.
• FDA Commissioner Dr. Scott Gottlieb has stated that “e-cigarette use among youth has hit epidemic proportions.”
• Surgeon General’s Advisory on E-Cigarette Use Among Youth states: “The recent surge in e-cigarette use among youth, which has been fueled by new types of e-cigarettes that have recently entered the market, is a cause for great concern. We must take action now to protect the health of our nation’s young people.”

Minnesota Youth Tobacco Trends – Source: 2017 Minnesota Youth Tobacco Survey:

Almost 40 percent: of high-school students have tried e-cigarettes, which come in kid-friendly flavors like gummy bear and cotton candy.

Nearly one in five: high-school students reporting using e-cigarettes in the past month – a nearly 50 percent surge in high-school use from 13 percent in 2014.

88 percent of high-school and middle-school students: reported they have seen advertisements promoting e-cigarettes.

About Minnesotans for a Smoke-Free Generation

Minnesotans for a Smoke-Free Generation is a coalition of more than 60 organizations that share a common goal of saving Minnesota youth from a lifetime of addiction to tobacco. The coalition supports policies that reduce youth smoking and nicotine addiction, including increasing tobacco prices, raising the tobacco sale age to 21, limiting access to candy-, fruit- and menthol-flavored tobacco, and funding tobacco prevention and cessation programs.

Partners include: A Healthier Southwest, African American Leadership Forum, Allina Health, American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network, American Heart Association, American Lung Association in Minnesota, Apple Tree Dental, Association for Nonsmokers – Minnesota, Aurora/St. Anthony Neighborhood Corporation, Becker County Energize, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota, CentraCare Health, Children’s Defense Fund-Minnesota, Children’s Hospitals and Clinics of Minnesota, ClearWay Minnesota^SM,  Comunidades Latinas Unidas En Servicio – CLUES, Dodge County Public Health, Essentia Health, Gillette Children’s Specialty Healthcare, HealthEast, HealthPartners, Hennepin Healthcare, Hope Dental Clinic, Horizon Public Health, Indigenous Peoples Task Force, ISAIAH, JustUs Health, LAAMPP Alumni, Lake Region Healthcare, Lincoln Park Children and Families Collaborative, Local Public Health Association of Minnesota, March of Dimes, Mayo Clinic, Medica, Meeker McLeod Sibley Community Health Services, Minnesota Academy of Family Physicians, Minnesota Cancer Alliance, Minnesota Council of Health Plans, Minnesota Hospital Association, Minnesota Medical Association, Minnesota Nurses Association, Minnesota Oral Health Coalition, Minnesota Public Health Association, MN Association of Community Health Centers, MN Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics, Model Cities of St. Paul, Inc., NAMI Minnesota, North Memorial Health Care, NorthPoint Health and Wellness Center, Olmsted Medical Center, PartnerSHIP 4 Health, Perham Health, Preventing Tobacco Addiction Foundation, SEIU Healthcare Minnesota, Shift MN, St. Paul Area Chamber of Commerce, Steele County Public Health, Tobacco Free Alliance, Twin Cities Medical Society, UCare, Vision In Living Life “Change is Possible”,  WellShare International and Zumbro Valley Medical Society. Find out more at: smokefreegenmn.org.