Tobacco.org

ClearWay: battling for your heart, mind, lungs and life  

If it was based solely on choice, would cigarette companies annually spend $200 million in advertising just in the state of Minnesota? No, of course not. It is because they are locked in a mortal battle for the minds and lungs of the populous. Undeniably, whether or not the majority of individuals currently partake in the habitual practice of smoking, is the result of the infiltration, influence and acceptance of propaganda either for or against smoking. In this state, the propaganda stream derives from tobacco companies or, from their nemesis, ClearWay Minnesota.

ClearWay headway

Without finances for massive media blitzes afforded the voluminous pockets of big tobacco, representatives of the anti-smoking outfit recently dropped by the Advocate Tribune so to reach out to Minnesotans and inform of them of both the progress of Clearway and of what can they can expect in the near future from the cigarette producers.

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ClearWay Minnesota(SM) Board Approves New Officers 

Today ClearWay Minnesota's Board of Directors approved new officers, introduced new Board Members and thanked outgoing members for their service to the organization. David Fisher, Principal of law firm The General Counsel, Ltd., was elected as the new Board Chair. The full roster of Board Officers elected today includes:

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ClearWay Minnesota(SM) Adds New Director of Research 

ClearWay Minnesota announced today that Dr. Raymond Boyle, Ph.D., M.P.H., will be the new Director of Research for the organization. Dr. Boyle has training in Health Education and Epidemiology from the University of Oregon and the University of Minnesota.

"We are very excited about this new addition to ClearWay Minnesota and our research department," said David Willoughby, Chief Executive Officer of ClearWay Minnesota. "Dr. Boyle is well respected in his work on tobacco control and will help us continue to achieve our goals of reducing the harm of tobacco in Minnesota."

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University of Minnesota/OSU Tobacco Control Study Flawed; Combining Data on Bars and Restaurants Skewed Results 

Ohio newspapers, radio and TV news recently broadcast the results of a study performed at the University of Minnesota School of Public Health with Elizabeth Klein, Assistant Professor, Health Behavior and Health Promotion, Ohio State University as lead researcher. This study was funded by ClearWay Minnesota, a non-profit organization that funds Minnesota tobacco control, and used employment data as its sole economic indicator. This study gained headlines in the media as "Ban hurting business? No, study says." (Columbus Dispatch, May 19, 2009, front page). All Headline News opened with "New research suggests that smoking bans in bars meant to improve the environmental quality of indoor air doesn't cause job losses." (Note: No reference to restaurants).

What is not mentioned is the reason that this study was conducted. According to the Abstract from Ms. Klein's study, "due to the perception of negative economic effects on alcohol-licensed hospitality businesses, partial CIA policies (those that provide an exemption for freestanding bars) have been proposed as a means to reduce the risk of economic effects of comprehensive CIA policies applied to all worksites."). UWeekly, an OSU student run publication, quotes Klein as saying "the places that made exemptions for bars they weren't significantly different from the places that provided no exemptions for bars."

Glaringly obvious even to a novice is that freestanding bars were supposed to be the target of the study. Even more obvious are these facts. . . .

Tobacco Control is well aware smoking bans have little effect on restaurants while bars are negatively impacted. So why were restaurants included in Klein's study? According to Pat Carroll, President of the Buckeye Liquor Permit Holders Association, "It's obvious why it was done this way. It's to distort the truth. You can't lump bars and restaurants together. We have entirely different customers and provide different atmospheres. We demand this study be done again without restaurant data." Pam Parker, BLPHA Board Member and co-founder of Opponents of Ohio Bans asks "The problem is that this study, timed quite nicely to be released just as we have SB 120 introduced to exempt family owned bars in Ohio, has been widely distributed. If the data from this study is reexamined and finds that bars are hurt from smoking bans, will the researchers go to similar lengths to see that proper retractions are printed and headlined?"

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Study: Smoking bans don’t cause job losses in bars, restaurants 

Smoking bans do not significantly affect employment in bars and restaurants, according to research released Tuesday by the University of Minnesota and Ohio State University.

That result runs contrary to the arguments made by bar and restaurant owners as they've fought such bans at state legislatures and city halls across the country.

According to a press release, the researchers tracked employment in bars and full-service restaurants in 10 Minnesota cities, using state-mandated reporting data from the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development. Limited-service restaurants were not included because they rarely sell alcohol. The cities had various forms of workplace smoking bans, including some that excluded bars.

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ClearWay Minnesota(SM) Board Approves Four Regional Grants 

Today ClearWay Minnesota's Board of Directors approved four regional grants dedicated to reducing tobacco's harm through coalition building, public education and policy advocacy. The grants will provide resources to communities outside the Twin Cities metro area.

"These new grant awards show our continuing commitment to reducing tobacco's harm and educate all Minnesotans about the dangers of tobacco," said M. Patricia Hoven, ClearWay Minnesota Board Chair. "This investment in our state will pay off with healthier communities and continued protection from secondhand smoke."

Four regional grants totaling $580,000 were awarded to the American Lung Association in Minnesota, serving northeastern Minnesota ($145,000); CentraCare Health Foundation, serving St. Cloud and its surrounding communities ($145,000); Goodhue County Public Health Service, serving a four-county area in southern Minnesota ($150,000); and Nobles-Rock Community Health Services, serving two communities in southwestern Minnesota ($140,000). Each grantee will establish local coalitions, educate the public about the dangers of smoking and secondhand smoke, promote QUITPLAN(R) Services and advance policies that reduce tobacco use and exposure to secondhand smoke.

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• Partial bans on smoking don't save jobs in restaurants and bars 

a new study from Minnesota finds that there is no significant difference between partial bans, complete bans and even no bans, in terms of their impact on number of employees in restaurants and bars.

"This is the first study to compare the economic consequences of partial bans, total bans and no bans on smoking in public places. Because they don't have any differential effect on employment in restaurants and bars, it is obvious that a total ban on smoking is the only way to protect employees and patrons from second hand smoke, which is known to cause lung cancer, heart disease and respiratory diseases" according to study author Elizabeth Klein, Ph.D., MPH, Assistant Professor in the Health Behavior & Health Promotion Division of the College of Public Health at Ohio State University. Klein conducted the study while she was at the University of Minnesota. The study is published in the June issue of Prevention Science, a peer reviewed journal of the Society for Prevention Research.

Klein studied ten cities in Minnesota from 2003 to 2006

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Minnesota Smokers Turning to QUITPLAN(R) Services After Cigarette Tax Hike 

The recent federal tax increase on cigarettes has a lot of Minnesotans trying to quit smoking. QUITPLAN Services, the free stop-smoking program provided by ClearWay Minnesota(SM), has seen user volumes spike following the increase. Congress increased the cigarette tax nationwide by 62 cents to expand the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP).

Since the new tax took effect on March 31, thousands of Minnesotans have contacted QUITPLAN Services for help. During the week of March 30 through April 5, 807 calls were made to QUITPLAN Services, an increase of 372 percent from the first week in March. In addition, 568 people registered on quitplan.com over the same time span, an increase of 207 percent from the first week in March. More people contacted QUITPLAN Services in the first week of April 2009 than did in the entire month of April 2008.

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Minnesota Smokers Turning to QUITPLAN(R) Services After Cigarette Tax Hike 

The recent federal tax increase on cigarettes has a lot of Minnesotans trying to quit smoking. QUITPLAN Services, the free stop-smoking program provided by ClearWay Minnesota(SM), has seen user volumes spike following the increase. Congress increased the cigarette tax nationwide by 62 cents to expand the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP).

(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20081223/AQTU043LOGO)

Since the new tax took effect on March 31, thousands of Minnesotans have contacted QUITPLAN Services for help. During the week of March 30 through April 5, 807 calls were made to QUITPLAN Services, an increase of 372 percent from the first week in March. In addition, 568 people registered on quitplan.com over the same time span, an increase of 207 percent from the first week in March. More people contacted QUITPLAN Services in the first week of April 2009 than did in the entire month of April 2008.

Studies in Minnesota and across the nation have found a direct relationship between cigarette price increases and quitting smoking.

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New Poll: 72 Percent of Minnesotans Support Tobacco Tax Increase 

A new survey released today by ClearWay Minnesota(SM) found that an overwhelming majority (72 percent) of Minnesotans support increasing state tobacco taxes. Thirty-seven percent of respondents said the primary reason for their support is that higher taxes will encourage smokers to quit and prevent kids from becoming smokers, and 35 percent cited increased smoking-related health care costs as their primary reason. The survey was conducted by Minneapolis research firm Decision Resources, Ltd.

"One of the most striking findings of the survey is that people arrive at their support for an increase in the tobacco tax out of a sense of fairness," said Bill Morris, President of Decision Resources. "They understand both that tobacco use costs Minnesotans far more in medical costs than is recovered through current taxes or insurance premiums on smokers. They also recognize that a tobacco tax is an effective tool to encourage people to quit and to stop young people from starting to smoke."

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Mother of Five Wins $5,000 in Minnesota Quit-Smoking Contest 

Sandy Spindler had five good reasons to quit smoking -- her children. Last night, the Tyler, Minn., mother of five was awarded the $5,000 grand prize in the first ever QuitCash Challenge, a quit-smoking contest sponsored by ClearWay Minnesota(SM) and QUITPLAN Services. More than 2,500 Minnesotans, including Sandy, attempted to quit tobacco use during October for a chance to win.

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Lucky Quitters to Receive Big Money in Stop-Smoking Contest 

Three Minnesotans who successfully quit smoking will receive big prizes during a special on-ice presentation at the Minnesota Wild game on November 24 at the Xcel Energy Center. The winners were participants in The QuitCash Challenge, a new stop-smoking contest from ClearWay Minnesota(SM) and QUITPLAN(R) Services.

The grand prize winner will receive $5,000 in cash, while two runners-up will get $1,000 gift cards from Gander Mountain.

More than 2,500 Minnesotans competed in the Challenge, which launched in August. . . .

This is the first year ClearWay Minnesota and QUITPLAN Services sponsored The QuitCash Challenge. Minnesota smokers registered online at quitcash.com, a website that also featured a cost savings calculator -- demonstrating just how much money quitting can save a person during the contest and beyond.

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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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