2020 Tobacco-Free Living Setting Updates
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MINNESOTA DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH (MDH) UPDATE:
On September 16, MDH announced a new statement on secondhand smoke/e-cigarette aerosol and COVID-19 based on the latest science.
Please share this updated information with communities, staff, and students.
Read more here on smoking, vaping, lung health, and COVID-19.
CLICK TO READ PDF
The Association for Nonsmokers(ANSR)-Minnesota’s COVID-19 and Tobacco Factsheet.
FAQs about TOBACCO 21.
On May 16, 2020, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz signed Minnesota’s Tobacco 21 bill, HF 331, Minnesota Session Laws, Regular Session, Ch. 88 — HF 331 (2020), raising the minimum legal sales age (MLSA) from 18 to 21.
Find answers to the following questions about Tobacco 21: Public Health Law Center’s Tobacco 21 and Other Statutory Changes Frequently Asked Questions guide.
How does this legislation change regulation of commercial tobacco in Minnesota?
What are the key changes that every local community should know about?
What commercial tobacco products are covered by the new law?
If my community passed a Tobacco 21 law before the passage of the state law, are any changes needed?
What should my community do if it has not yet passed a Tobacco 21 law? Do we have to change our local ordinance by August 1, 2020?
What about penalties for those under the age of 21?
Who is responsible for conducting compliance checks under the state law? A: State law continues?
Does the Minnesota Tobacco 21 law apply to Tribal lands?
How does the Minnesota Tobacco 21 law intersect with the federal law enacted in 2019?
Will new retailer signs, window clings, and other resources be made available?
Is help available if our community wants to review or update its ordinance?
If you’d like to learn more about partnering with Wabasha County SHIP, email Tina Moen, SHIP Coordinator or call 651-565-5200.
Teens may still be accessing flavored commercial tobacco products.
Federal law prohibits the manufacture and sale of flavored cigarettes, with the exception of menthol. However, flavors are still permitted in all other commercial tobacco products like cigars, chew and snuff, shisha, and e-cigarettes and vapes. Learn how flavored commercial tobacco products can be harmful to teens on Minnesota Department of Health’s website.
View and share this video created by Olmsted County Public Health.
Free Support to Quit Smoking
Are you looking for free support to quite smoking?
Starting April 1, 2020, the Minnesota Department of Health will launch Quit Partner, Minnesota’s new commercial tobacco cessation programs, offering free quit-tobacco services to Minnesota residents who use any form of commercial tobacco including cigarettes, e-cigarettes/vapes, and chew.
Minnesotan’s looking for free support to quit smoking, vaping or chewing can now be directed to Quit Partner at 1-800-QUIT-NOW - or to their website.
QUITPLAN Services will stop accepting new enrollees after March 31, 2020. Participants enrolled in QUITPLAN Services before April 1, 2020 will be able to continue and finish their current program.
Recent Federal legislation raises minimum age of sale of tobacco products from 18 to 21 years.
On December 20, 2019, the President signed legislation to amend the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act which raises the federal minimum age of sale of tobacco products from 18 to 21 years according to U.S. Food & Drug Administration.
It is now illegal for a retailer to sell any tobacco product – including cigarettes, cigars and e-cigarettes – to anyone under 21.
FDA will provide additional details as they become available. Learn more.
Please contact Tammy Fiedler, Wabasha County Public Health Director, at 651-565-5200 for assistance in updating your local ordinances.
State sues JUUL for deceptive marketing targeting youth.
Lawsuit alleges JUUL has created a public nuisance.
Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison along with Gov. Tim Walz and Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan, announced on Dec. 4, 2019 that the State of Minnesota is suing e-cigarette manufacturer JUUL Labs, Inc. The lawsuit filed in Hennepin County District Court, alleges among other counts that JUUL has violated multiple state consumer-protection laws, breached its duty of reasonable care and created a public nuisance.
“My job is to protect Minnesotans from deceptive, fraudulent, and unlawful practices, and to protect their health and safety. It’s especially important for me to protect our young folks from deception and harm. I’m bringing a lawsuit against JUUL today because it has created a public nuisance that is centered around deceiving, addicting, and harming our young people,” said Attorney General Ellison.
Read the full news release on the Office of Minnesota Attorney General’s website.
Read the text of the lawsuit (PDF) filed in Hennepin County District Court.
If you’d like to learn more about partnering with Wabasha County SHIP, email Tina Moen, SHIP Coordinator or call 651-565-5200.
E-cigarette harmful aerosol content.
Similar to secondhand smoke from cigarettes and other tobacco products, aerosol from e-cigarettes (often called vapor) contains harmful and potentially harmful substances, such as ultrafine particles, heavy metals like nickel, tin, and lead, and other cancer-causing chemicals.
Flavorings and other components may be FDA-approved for ingestion, but not inhalation.
[U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, E-Cigarette Use Among Youth and Young Adults. A Report of the Surgeon General. 2016, U. S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Office on Smoking and Health: Atlanta, GA.]