Press Releases

Tobacco 21 Passes Two Legislative Committees

House Commerce Committee Also Advances Bill to Strengthen Clean Indoor Air Law

ST. PAUL (2/26/19) – Today, a bill to raise the statewide tobacco sale age to 21 passed two committees in the Minnesota House and Senate. Tobacco 21 (HF331/SF463) passed through the House Commerce Committee and the Senate Health and Human Services Finance and Policy Committee. 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 addiction to tobacco, applauded legislators for continuing to advance the lifesaving bill.

“Tobacco 21 will keep tobacco products out of our middle schools and high schools, reduce youth smoking and save lives,” said Molly Moilanen, Vice President at ClearWay Minnesota^SM and Co-Chair of Minnesotans for a Smoke-Free Generation. “Big Tobacco is climbing back into our kids’ backpacks by aggressively marketing stealthily designed, candy-flavored, high-nicotine devices. Too many Minnesota youth are becoming addicted, and it’s time we stand up for our kids and our future. Thank you to Chairs Benson and Halverson for hearing these bills, and thank you to lawmakers from both sides of the aisle for your continued support.”

“Protecting kids from tobacco addiction is a bipartisan goal we can all get behind,” Senate chief author Senator Carla Nelson said. “Nearly all smokers start before 21 so we can save lives and prevent lifetime addiction by raising the tobacco age to 21.”

“Minnesota is facing the first rise in youth tobacco use in a generation and we must do more to protect our kids,” House chief author Representative Heather Edelson said. “Let’s join the growing movement for Tobacco 21 and raise the tobacco age this year.”

Teen e-cigarette use, now called an epidemic by the Surgeon General, has risen significantly. 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. That increase is concerning because nicotine in any form harms the adolescent brain and may prime young brains for addiction.

Raising the tobacco age will reduce teens’ ability to buy tobacco products themselves or to access them through friends, classmates and teammates. To date, 23 Minnesota cities and counties have adopted Tobacco 21 policies.

Nearly 95 percent of adult smokers started smoking by age 21. Passing a statewide bill would have a profound effect on health, reducing smoking among 15-to-17-year-olds by an estimated 25 percent. Tobacco 21 bills have been introduced in the past two legislative sessions but had not received a hearing before this year.

Supporters of Tobacco 21 delivered powerful testimony in both committees. The chief authors, Rep. Edelson and Sen. Nelson, were joined by youth, educators and public health professionals from throughout the state, including tobacco addiction experts Dr. Richard Hurt and Dr. Anne Joseph.

In the House, the Tobacco 21 proposal was referred to the House Judiciary Finance and Civil Law Committee. The Senate Health and Human Services Finance and Policy Committee referred the companion bill to the Senate Judiciary and Public Safety Finance and Policy Committee.

House Commerce Committee Also Advances Bill to Strengthen the Minnesota Clean Indoor Air Act

Minnesotans for a Smoke-Free Generation also thanked the House Commerce Committee for advancing a bill to strengthen the state’s clean indoor air act. That bill (HF 349) expands the definition of smoking to ensure Minnesota’s smoke-free indoor air law covers the use of e-cigarettes wherever smoking is prohibited. Minnesotans expect and deserve clean indoor air and over 80 percent of residents support including e-cigarette use in the clean indoor air law. More than 50 Minnesota communities have passed these policies locally, but Minnesota does not have a comprehensive statewide law. The bill will now go to the House Floor to be considered by the full House of Representatives.

“We need 100 percent of Minnesota to be covered by a comprehensive clean indoor air policy, especially in the face of a youth nicotine epidemic,” chief author Rep. Laurie Halverson said. “Minnesotans deserve and expect clean indoor air and we should work quickly to pass a strong, uniform standard.”

In Minnesota, tobacco use remains the leading cause of preventable death and disease, costing an estimated $7 billion annually and taking the lives of more than 6,300 Minnesotans every year. Minnesota’s progress on reducing tobacco use has been interrupted in recent years. After declining for decades, the adult cigarette smoking rate has now stalled out at 14 percent, and for the first time in a generation youth tobacco use has increased.

Tomorrow, nearly 400 youth and other advocates from across Minnesota will rally to urge lawmakers to address tobacco addiction and “Keep Lungs Loud” as part of Minnesotans for a Smoke-Free Generation’s annual Day at the Capitol. The House Health and Human Services Finance Division Committee will also hold a hearing on two additional bills that the coalition supports. The committee will hear the tobacco cessation funding bill (HF350) and a bill dedicating delinquent tobacco settlement funds to health (HF1058).

More info: Tobacco 21 fact sheet, E-cigarette fact sheet.

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.