Tobacco.org

$5,000 QuitCash Challenge™ Prize Motivates Long-Time Smoker to Kick Butt 

A Fridley woman quit smoking after nearly 13 years to win the $5,000 grand prize in QUITPLAN Services' fourth annual QuitCash Challenge. Christine Albertson, 26, was one of more than 3,000 Minnesotans who entered The QuitCash Challenge, kicking their tobacco habit and remaining smoke-free for at least one month.

QUITPLAN Services will celebrate Christine's accomplishment and present her with a check for $5,000 on Friday, January 27, just one week before American Heart Month begins. American Heart Month draws attention to the leading cause of death in the United States, coronary heart disease, which, according to the Centers for Disease Control, can be caused by smoking or exposure to secondhand smoke.

Christine was able to overcome her addiction to tobacco by using nicotine patches, which she has now weaned off of completely.

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Mayo Clinic gets tobacco cessation grant  

ClearWay Minnesota has announced a $726,727, three-year grant to Mayo Clinic researchers to study whether "phone quit lines can be an effective tool for helping hospitalized cigarette smokers quit."

The principal investigator is Dr. David Warner.

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ClearWay Minnesota(SM) Board Approves $1.8 Million for Research Grants  

At its meeting on January 18, ClearWay Minnesota's Board of Directors approved three grants for new research. The organization will award more than $1.8 million to Minnesota researchers through these grants.

"Science is the backbone of our work at ClearWay Minnesota," said Chief Executive Officer David Willoughby. "The research funded by these grants has the potential to improve the efforts of our organization, and those of others, to reduce the devastating harm tobacco causes the people of Minnesota."

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• New TV Program Spotlights Secondhand Smoke in Minnesota's Diverse Communities 

ClearWay Minnesota(SM), in partnership with ECHO Minnesota, has produced a unique television program warning that secondhand smoke should remain a public health priority for Minnesotans - particularly among Minnesota's ethnic communities.

Secondhand Smoke in Our Communities will air on public television stations across Minnesota, as well as online, beginning January 15, 2012. Each program will feature guests from Minnesota's ethnic communities with a goal of helping all Minnesotans understand the dangers of exposure to secondhand smoke. The program will be broadcast in eight languages, including English, Spanish, Hmong, Somali, Karen, Vietnamese, Lao and Khmer.

"Secondhand smoke is harmful to all Minnesotans' health, but diverse communities experience some of the greatest harm," said David Willoughby, Chief Executive Officer of ClearWay Minnesota. "Tobacco companies use clever marketing practices to make their dangerous products attractive to these communities. This program offers a distinct way to tell the story of tobacco's impact in all Minnesota and to educate the specific populations that are most at-risk."

Tobacco companies spent nearly $200 million in Minnesota in 2008, targeting people based on factors including income, education level, ethnic background or lifestyle. The report Unfiltered: A Revealing Look at Today's Tobacco Industry gave examples of minority-directed tobacco advertising, and showed that rates of tobacco use among some ethnic communities are greatly outpacing those of the general and Caucasian populations. Additionally, rates of quitting tobacco use can be substantially lower in these communities.

"The impact of tobacco is regressive," said Willoughby, "with our ethnic and low-income populations facing disproportionate risk."

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Businesses fail tobacco compliance checks 

Four businesses in Nobles and Rock counties failed tobacco compliance checks conducted in July by Nobles-Rock Community Health Services.

The Pit Stop in Round Lake, Wal-Mart and Fareway Foods in Worthington, and Casey’s Gas on U.S. 75 in Luverne all failed after clerks at those locations sold tobacco products to teens younger than 18.

NRCHS Health Educator Paula Bloemendaal reported during the NRCHS meeting Wednesday in Worthington that Fareway Foods has failed the compliance checks two years in a row.

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QUITPLAN helps tobacco users kick habit, get healthy 

Kathleen Mahon is coordinator of the Women at Heart project at the Central Minnesota Heart Center at St. Cloud Hospital.

"One of the effects of smoking is that it causes a stiffening of the arteries; healthy arteries aren't stiff. But the good news is when people quit smoking, some of those negative effects are reversed," Mahon said.

Launched by ClearWay Minnesota in 2001, QUITPLAN Services is a free, professional counseling service that has helped more than 17,000 Minnesotans successfully quit using tobacco, according to its website.

"The chance of having a heart attack drops about 50 percent after not smoking for one year, so it's really never too late to quit," said Mahon, a certified nurse practitioner.

The smoking-cessation program is funded by a portion of the Minnesota tobacco settlement. Support is available to anyone who lives or works in Minnesota.

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• EDITORIAL: Balanced by tobacco 

The state and Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota sued tobacco companies in the 1990s, producing a settlement valued at $6.5 billion. The lawsuit also produced a trove of documents on the tobacco industry that "exposed the industry's long history of deceptive marketing, advertising and research,'' according a Mayo Foundation report.

The bulk of the money flowed to the state to set up "permanent" health-care endowments and as continuing yearly payments to the state's general fund.

Interest on the endowments was to be used to pay for tobacco prevention, medical education, the U's Academic Health center and other public health efforts.

By mid-2002, three endowments were valued at $943 million. In 2003, that money proved irresistible. The endowments were dissolved and the money was used to help resolve a budget deficit.

The annual payments have continued to flow into the state's general fund and will do so "in perpetuity,'' as the lawyers say. . . .

The 1998 settlement also produced approximately $469 million for Blue Cross and Blue Shield, and $200 million for an advocacy group now known as ClearWay Minnesota. ClearWay continues its work in smoking-cessation, advocacy and research. The group argued against the "tobacco bonds" idea and favored a cigarette tax hike instead.

When this deal is completed, much of the long-term benefit to state taxpayers from the tobacco settlement will have been used to address immediate budget crises. And as was the case in 2003, Minnesota's books will be balanced with one-time money that will not be available to Dayton and the Legislature when they go to work on the next budget in January of 2013.

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Tom Weaver: Why a tobacco tax to help end shutdown is smart  

As the CEO of an organization that provides valuable services to disadvantaged adults, and as a former regional administrator for the Metropolitan Council, I have a real appreciation for the arguments made on both sides of the political debate. . . .

To his credit, the governor included a tobacco tax increase in a recent offer. Legislative leaders dismissed it out of hand as just another tax increase. But a tobacco price increase would do more than help get us through this budget debate.

It would tackle one of the state's most preventable and costly long-term financial challenges: tobacco use and its harm on Minnesotans. Smoking kills more than 5,100 Minnesotans a year and accounts for almost $3 billion a year in excess health care costs.

Those costs are part of the reason that health care inflation is a major challenge for the state budget -- we spend too much money treating the illnesses caused by tobacco instead of following proven ways of keeping people from smoking. . . .

An increase in the tobacco tax should not be looked upon as just another way to raise new revenue. Proceeds from a tobacco tax increase could be used to offset other taxes that provide disincentives to economic growth (such as the corporate franchise tax) or that stress lower-income households (such as the property tax or some of Minnesota's growing collection of fees).

In fact, lower-income households, which are disproportionately targeted by tobacco company marketing, could get a win-win with this approach -- offsetting another regressive tax while providing an effective incentive to stop smoking.

With a strong majority of Minnesotans supporting a tobacco price increase -- nearly three out of five, according to one recent poll -- policymakers on both sides of the aisle can feel confident that a tobacco price increase is a big step in the right direction.

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Editorial: Consider new tobacco revenue 

Gov. Mark Dayton offered something new Wednesday as part of his latest offer to legislators.

According to a press release issued by ClearWay Minnesota (clearwaymn.org), an independent, nonprofit organization that aims to improve the health of all Minnesotans by reducing tobacco use and exposure to secondhand smoke, Dayton included a $1-per-pack cigarette price increase in his updated budget proposal. Unfortunately, Wednesday didn’t end well in St. Paul, and both Democrats and Republicans acknowledged that an extended government shutdown was a very real possibility.

According to estimates provided by ClearWay, a $1 price hike would generate $283 in new revenue this biennium. And it’s not just about the money: it would prevent 41,000 Minnesota youths “from becoming addicted adult smokers” and “avoid over 18,000 smoking-related deaths in the future.”

A public opinion poll recently conducted by Raise It for Health (raiseitforhealth.org), a coalition of Minnesota health and nonprofit organizations that share a common goal of reducing tobacco use, determined that nearly three of five Minnesotans support a tobacco price increase. Seventy percent of those supporters said they would favor a $1.50-per-pack increase. . . .

We’d like nothing more to see the shutdown go up in smoke. Let’s hope our legislators are listening.

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New Bill Introduced to Close 'Little Cigars' Loophole  

Today Senator Julie Rosen (R - Fairmont) and Representative Jenifer Loon (R - Eden Prairie) introduced the Cigarette Uniformity Act to address a problematic loophole that allows "little cigars" to skirt the same regulations placed on cigarettes. Already gaining bipartisan support at the Minnesota Legislature, this bill will help keep cheap and candy-flavored tobacco products out of the hands of kids and ensure proper compliance with state law.

"These little cigar products look, smoke and are marketed like cigarettes, but they aren't regulated like cigarettes because of a technicality in state law," said Representative Loon. "This bill closes the loophole that has allowed these tobacco products to be miscategorized - undermining the integrity of our tax code and putting our kids at risk."

Little cigars are filtered and usually come in packs of 20. However, because they are wrapped in brown paper, they have been incorrectly classified as an "other tobacco product" in law. This loophole unfairly gives favorable tax and regulatory treatment to little cigars. The Cigarette Uniformity Act broadens the statutory definition of cigarettes to include little cigars that have cellulose acetate or other cigarette-like filters and are of a similar size and weight as cigarettes. This change means little cigars:

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Clearing the air in Minnesota 

The number of Minnesotans exposed to secondhand smoke fell to an all-time low in 2010, and 9 in 10 people now forbid smoking in their homes, according a new state survey released Thursday.

The survey, conducted every three years by the Minnesota Department of Health, suggests that the state's controversial 2007 indoor smoking ban has produced a dramatic shift in Minnesotans' thinking on the hazards of cigarette smoke.

How dramatic? A majority of smokers now refuse to smoke in their own homes, the survey found.

"This is the first [survey] that captures the effects of the Freedom to Breathe Act," said Raymond Boyle, research director at ClearWay Minnesota, a nonprofit smoking-cessation and research group that partners on the survey. "It's very encouraging."

Nonetheless, about 45 percent of respondents reported being exposed to second-hand smoke at some point in the previous week, down from 57 percent three years ago.

More than 90 percent said they believe secondhand smoke is harmful.

In a spirited debate before the passage of the 2007 law, many bar and restaurant owners argued that a smoking ban would hurt their business. But researchers said Thursday that a recent University of Minnesota study indicates the smoking ban hasn't caused economic harm.

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Cigarette Smoking, Secondhand Smoke Exposure Decline in Minnesota  

Findings from the latest Minnesota Adult Tobacco Survey (MATS), published today in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, show that Minnesota is continuing to make progress in reducing tobacco use and exposure to secondhand smoke. The study is the most thorough and accurate source of information about tobacco use in Minnesota.

Conducted by ClearWay Minnesota(SM) and the Minnesota Department of Health, the MATS study found that Minnesota's adult smoking rate has declined to 16.1 percent - down from 22.1 percent in 1999. In addition, exposure to secondhand smoke significantly declined after the Freedom to Breathe Act was implemented in October 2007.

"These data allow us to get a complete picture of tobacco use and trends in Minnesota, and we are encouraged by the continuing declines in smoking and secondhand smoke exposure," said Dr. Raymond Boyle, Director of Research Programs for ClearWay Minnesota. "However, the report identifies challenges as well and reminds us that we need to keep tobacco use a public health priority." . . .

The MATS study also found a significant increase in the use of smokeless tobacco products, such as snuff and the new product snus. The percentage of smokers who reported using smokeless tobacco in addition to cigarettes more than doubled since 2007, from 4.4 percent to 9.6 percent.

"The MATS report confirms the changing nature of tobacco use in Minnesota," said Boyle. "We've seen a big jump in the tobacco industry's marketing of new smokeless products to counteract smoke-free policies and keep people addicted to tobacco."

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• AUDIO: Survey: Smoking rate down in Minn., smokeless tobacco use up  

A new survey shows the adult smoking rate in Minnesota has dropped to 16 percent, nearly a full percentage point lower than the smoking rate three years ago.

Smokers are smoking fewer cigarettes, and some have cut back on the number of days that they smoke, according to the fourth Minnesota Adult Tobacco Survey.

Exposure to second-hand smoke in Minnesota is down dramatically too. But there is at least one troubling trend. The report shows a growing number of smokers are picking up a new tobacco habit: smokeless tobacco products.

Previous reports, conducted every three or four years since 1999, also showed a steady decline in the number of Minnesota smokers.

During that time, smokers have had to absorb a couple of large cigarette tax increases. They also faced more restrictions on where they can smoke . . .

It's likely that those tobacco-control efforts heavily influenced smokers' behavior, said Raymond Boyle, director of research programs for ClearWay Minnesota, one of the groups that conducted the survey. . . .

But the report also revealed a troubling trend. While smoking and tobacco exposure rates declined, the use of smokeless tobacco products such as snuff and snus doubled from three years ago. In 2007, the rate of use was 4.4 percent. By 2010, it had risen to 9.6 percent.

Boyle said the difference corresponds with a sharp increase in advertising for smokeless products.

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SIEGEL: Finalists for 2010 Lie of the Year Award Announced; Winners to Be Announced Next Week; Merry Christmas to All; Back Next Week 

The Finalists

1. Free & Clear

The Lie: "Using an integrated mix of medication support, phone-based cognitive behavioral coaching and web-based learning and support tools the Quit For Life Program produces an average quit rate of 45% for employers, making it 9 times more effective than quitting “cold turkey.”" . . .

2. United States Surgeon General's Office

The Lie: (1) "Even brief exposure to secondhand smoke can cause cardiovascular disease and could trigger acute cardiac events, such as heart attack."; (2) "Inhaling even the smallest amount of tobacco smoke can also damage your DNA, which can lead to cancer." . . .

3. Americans for Nonsmokers' Rights

The Lie: (1) "there are virtually no health disparities between active and passive smoking."; (2) "The risks of heart disease associated with secondhand smoke are twice what were previously thought and are virtually indistinguishable from those associated with active smoking."; (3) "Just thirty minutes of exposure to secondhand smoke can cause heart damage similar to that of habitual smokers." . . .

4. Kentucky Center for Smoke-Free Policy, University of Kentucky College of Nursing

The Lie: "Even brief exposure to secondhand smoke can trigger a heart attack. ...

5. Florida Department of Health

The Lie: "Non-smokers exposed to secondhand smoke for just 30 minutes experience hardening of the arteries." . . .

with hardening of the arteries.

6. Maricopa County Department of Public Health

The Lie: "Nonsmokers exposed to secondhand smoke for just 30 minutes experience hardening of the arteries." . . .

7. Breathe California of Sacramento-Emigrant Trails

The Lie: "Smoking kills about 340 young people a day." . . .

8. FDA Center for Tobacco Products

The Lie: "research has found that children are especially attracted to and begin using tobacco products very early because of all kinds of pressures and motivations, including access to cigarettes that have candy-like characterizing flavors, such as mint, chocolate, cinnamon, coconut, and strawberry." . . .

9. FDA and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

The Lie: "Almost 90 percent of adult smokers start smoking as teenagers. These flavored cigarettes are a gateway for many children and young adults to become regular smokers."; "Flavored cigarettes attract and allure kids into lifetime addiction. FDA's ban on these cigarettes will break that cycle for the more than 3,600 young people who start smoking daily." . . .

10. American Cancer Society

The Lie: "The American Cancer Society, along with the broader public health community, fought the tobacco industry for more than a decade to get this historic legislation passed."

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SIEGEL: Winner of 2010 Tobacco Control Lie of the Year Award: Office of the United States Surgeon General; Runner Up: Free & Clear 

The Surgeon General's office takes the award for disseminating widely throughout the media the blatant lie that even brief exposure to secondhand smoke can cause cardiovascular disease and that inhaling even the smallest amount of tobacco smoke causes cancer.

Although all ten contestants, and the eight quarterfinalists, were all outstanding entries in that they all represented blatant lies, the clear sentiment of Rest of the Story readers was that the Surgeon General's office deserves the award because of the sheer magnitude of the impact of this lie. . . .

Second place goes to Free & Clear, for making the fraudulent claim that its smoking cessation program has a 45% six-month success rate, when its own research found only a 21% success rate using intention-to-treat analysis.

The rationale for the choice of Free & Clear as the runner-up for the 2010 Tobacco Control Lie of the Year Award is presented by John Polito, who wrote:

"Intentionally advertising a 17% quitting rate as 45% is a massive distortion that is helping Free & Clear make millions.

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