Tobacco.org

Smoking Rate Falls Dramatically Among Minnesotans  

Findings from the latest Minnesota Adult Tobacco Survey (MATS), released today, show that Minnesota is making significant progress in reducing tobacco use. The survey -- conducted by ClearWay Minnesota(SM), Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota and the Minnesota Department of Health -- found that Minnesota's adult smoking rate has declined to a new low of 17 percent. That figure is down approximately 5 percentage points since 1999 and represents 164,000 fewer smokers. Minnesota's declines are impressive compared to national trends, where smoking rates appear to have stalled at about 20 percent since 2004.

"This dramatic decline in the smoking rate means that fewer Minnesota families will suffer the health and economic devastation of tobacco-related diseases," said Dr. Barbara Schillo, Director of Research Programs for ClearWay Minnesota. "Minnesotans should be proud that our state's comprehensive program to reduce tobacco use, incorporating smoke-free policies, tobacco price increases, education and state-of-the-art cessation services for all Minnesotans, is working and producing remarkable results."

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Fewer Minnesotans lighting up 

On the fourth-floor offices of ClearWay, Minnesota's quit-smoking organization, the latest state survey results about tobacco use looked promising.

Only 17 percent of Minnesotans smoked last year, down from 22 percent in 1999, according to the results released Tuesday. Smoking among young adults (18 to 24) declined even more, from 36.8 percent to 28.4 percent over that time.

"As addictive as tobacco is, I think the results that we have seen are pretty encouraging," said Dr. Pete Rode of the Minnesota Department of Health, which released the results along with ClearWay and Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota.

The idea of quitting seemed much more remote a few floors down. Smokers gathered in the sunshine outside the office building and recalled their short-lived attempts.

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Tobacco Use in Minnesota: 1999-2007  

MATS Briefings

Tobacco Use in Minnesota Is Declining (September 2008)

Minnesotans Are Quitting Smoking With Help (September 2008)

Smoke-free Policies Protect More Minnesotans (September 2008)

Fewer Young Adult Minnesotans Smoke (September 2008)

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• More Minnesota smokers kick the habit, with help 

A cigarette tax, a smattering of smoking bans and help in kicking the habit have converted 164,000 Minnesotans to nonsmokers since 1999.

A statewide survey of tobacco use made public today shows that 17 percent of adults smoke, down from 22.1 percent eight years before. Minnesota's steady downward trend is a sharp contrast to what has been happening nationally, where the average 20 percent of adults who smoke has not changed since 2004. . . .

The survey, the third so far, is jointly conducted by Blue Cross, the Minnesota Department of Health, and ClearWay Minnesota, an anti-tobacco research and smoking cessation organization. It was conducted in early 2007, several months before the state-wide smoking ban took effect.

It asked 12,000 Minnesotans detailed questions about their tobacco habits, the influence of tobacco policies and their exposure to secondhand smoke.

"The decrease in smoking is great news," said Dr. Marc Manley, vice president of population health for Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota. "But smoking is still the leading cause of death."

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$5,000 Up For Grabs in QUITPLAN(R) Services QuitCash Challenge 

It's time to cash in on quitting. To urge more Minnesota tobacco users to kick the habit, ClearWay Minnesota(SM) is introducing its first-ever, statewide QuitCash Challenge at the Minnesota State Fair. Minnesotans can win big with this challenge -- a grand-prize of $5,000 cash will be awarded to one Minnesotan who quits tobacco use by Oct. 1, 2008, and remains tobacco-free for the entire month of October. The winner will be announced at the Minnesota Wild hockey game on Nov. 24, 2008.

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New Look for quitplan.com 

Created by ClearWay Minnesota(SM), QUITPLAN Services provides free professional counseling for those looking to quit smoking and a variety of help options, including online guidance at quitplan.com. The web site now has a new look and added features for Minnesotans looking for help in breaking their nicotine addiction.

The web site, originally launched in 2003, will continue to offer free membership for Minnesotans, personalized quitting plans, expert advice from online certified tobacco-treatment specialists, and forums to discuss successes and obstacles with other smokers online. The web site will also provide a new, cleaner look to help Minnesotans in any stage of quitting, whether they are contemplating quitting, in the process of quitting or have already quit and are seeking support.

In addition, the site will now feature more information about all the QUITPLAN Services available to Minnesotans

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In Smoke-Free Minnesota, Five Former Smokers Share Their Struggles With Fighting Addiction 

In smoke-free Minnesota, five Minnesotans who personally struggled to go smoke-free are sharing their stories, from the time they started smoking to their state of physical and emotional well-being today. Their inspiring stories will be showcased in ClearWay Minnesota's traveling photo essay exhibit today at the IDS Crystal Court in Minneapolis.

The exhibit celebrates the efforts of Minnesotans who used QUITPLAN(R) Services, ClearWay Minnesota's free, professional stop-smoking programs that have helped more than 12,000 Minnesotans successfully quit tobacco since 2001.

Those visiting the exhibit will also have an opportunity see how their own faces could become wrinkled and discolored if they smoked for years. ClearWay Minnesota will be providing free demonstrations of age-progression software for visitors to experience.

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ClearWay Minnesota(SM) Board Approves $1.4 Million in New Grants to Reduce Tobacco's Harm 

At its Board Meeting earlier today, the Board of Directors of ClearWay Minnesota(SM) approved $1.4 million in new grants to expand QUITPLAN(R) Services, to fund additional research projects and to reduce exposure to secondhand smoke by advancing smoke-free policy efforts in tribal communities. The Board also welcomed three new Board Members, the Honorable Sheryl Ramstad, Christopher Georgacas and Mark Mishek.

"These new grants reflect ClearWay Minnesota's goals of helping more Minnesotans quit, advancing research and reducing exposure to secondhand smoke," said David Willoughby, ClearWay Minnesota's Chief Executive Officer. "We are also excited to welcome three excellent new Board Members."

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QUITPLAN(R) Services Can Help Make Mother's Day Smoke-Free 

As Mother's Day approaches, many smokers can give their mothers and themselves the gift of health by quitting. The holiday is an excellent opportunity to quit smoking for Mom, or for mothers to quit smoking for their kids. QUITPLAN(R) Services can help Minnesotans quit smoking, whether it's on Mother's Day or at any other time of the year. Created by ClearWay Minnesota(SM), QUITPLAN Services provide free professional counseling and a variety of help options for those looking to quit.

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ClearWay Minnesota(SM) Celebrates 10-Year Anniversary of Settlement 

Tomorrow marks the 10-year anniversary of Minnesota's historic settlement with the tobacco industry. The settlement and the trial leading up to it made national headlines for exposing millions of tobacco industry documents and for creating ClearWay Minnesota, an independent nonprofit organization dedicated exclusively to eliminating the harm tobacco causes Minnesotans.

Funded with 3 percent of the settlement, ClearWay Minnesota has achieved significant milestones during the past decade, including comprehensive cessation services for all Minnesotans, a strong statewide smoke-free law and a nationally respected research program. ClearWay Minnesota remains the only organization of its kind in the country.

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Research: Freedom to Breathe helping hospitality workers 

A new study from the University of Minnesota Cancer Center and ClearWay Minnesota has found that since the Freedom to Breathe Act went into effect last October, hospitality workers have significantly reduced exposure to a tobacco-specific cancer causing chemical.

The study measured workers exposure to cotinine (a measure of nicotine exposure) and NNAL, a by-product of a potent lung cancer-causing toxin, before and after the law took effect.

The study included nonsmoking employees of bars, restaurants and bowling alleys throughout the state. Each participant submitted urine samples taken before and after the law was enacted, as well as a detailed questionnaire, to the University of Minnesota research team for analysis.

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ClearWay Minnesota(SM) Celebrates QUITPLAN(R) Services at the Capitol 

This month, ClearWay Minnesota will celebrate the efforts of Minnesotans who used the free, professional counseling from QUITPLAN® Services to successfully quit smoking with a series of photo exhibits in the State Capitol. The exhibits are on display from Sunday, March 16 - Sunday, March 30 in the North Corridor of State Capitol near the Rotunda.

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New Survey Finds 76 Percent of Minnesotans Support Smoke-Free Law 

A new survey released today by ClearWay Minnesota(SM) found that 76 percent of Minnesotans support the statewide smoke-free law, with 44 percent indicating strong support. The survey also provides evidence of strong support among all leading demographics, including geography, political and ideological affiliation, income, age and gender. The survey was conducted by Minneapolis research firm Decision Resources, Ltd.

"The results of this survey demonstrate how quickly the smoke-free law has been embraced by all Minnesotans," said David Willoughby, Chief Executive Officer of ClearWay Minnesota. "We can now add the love of fresh indoor air to the list of things that define us as Minnesotans."

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Where the tobacco funds are 

WHERE THE TOBACCO FUNDS ARE BEING SPENT

Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota received $469 million in the settlement. This is the company's plan for spending it:

• $241 million for Prevention Minnesota, a program to reduce smoking, increase physical activity and promote healthy eating.

• $71 million goes back to plan members. . . .

ClearWay Minnesota was created by the settlement with a $202 million endowment and a 25-year lifespan. So far, it has spent the money this way:

• $31.6 million for education and outreach, including a statewide advertising campaign on ClearWay's cessation program and the dangers of secondhand smoke.

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• After 10 years, smoke clears on state's tobacco lawsuit 

Ten years later, the state's case against the tobacco industry is widely recognized as the most far-reaching case against private industry in Minnesota history.

The $6.1 billion settlement that came four months after the case began in a similarly bitter January 1998 in St. Paul has since been used to help thousands of Minnesota adults quit smoking, to persuade middle school and high school students to not start smoking, and has helped lay the groundwork for a statewide smoking ban and bailed the state out of a budget deficit.

"When you talk to people, there's a different attitude now about smoking. Smoking is more the exception than the rule," said former Attorney General Hubert Humphrey III, whose office began pursuing the tobacco industry in 1994. "That wouldn't have happened at nearly the pace it did without the settlement." . . .

The multibillion-dollar settlement will even be honored in the state's sesquicentennial celebration as one of the 150 most important people, places and events in Minnesota history. But it has not been without hitches in the 10 years since Humphrey told the tobacco industry that Minnesota was drawing "a line in the snow" to prove the industry's responsibility for causing smoking-related illnesses. . . .

"The whole driving force behind this litigation was public health," said Roberta Walburn, one of the central trial attorneys from the Minneapolis firm Robins, Kaplan, Miller & Ciresi that was hired by Humphrey to represent the state. "The settlement would have had a bigger impact if it had been used for public health instead of balancing the budget." . . .

MPAAT, which changed its name last year to ClearWay Minnesota to give it a more positive image, has spent $21.4 million over eight years helping Minnesotans quit smoking. . . .

"The industry has been discredited. The public knows the danger of the product. Would that have eventually come out without the lawsuit? Maybe," Humphrey said. "Smoking is the most preventable disease factor in the world, but we have a long way to go."

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