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• 3 counties work to get smoke-free apartments 

Three metro counties will spend about $204,000 from state health-improvement grants over the next two years to help apartment landlords and renters make their buildings smoke-free.

They start the effort with a survey showing that half of local renters would consider moving to a smoke-free building, including 16 percent of smokers.

"We know that many people want to live in smoke-free environments, and we know that can improve public health," said Lisa Mueller, who administers the state grants for Hennepin County.

Hennepin, Ramsey and Dakota counties, as well as Minneapolis, are pooling part of their state grants to hire the nonprofit Association for Nonsmokers Minnesota to advise them on voluntary non-smoking efforts in multi-unit housing.

The association used part of that grant money to conduct the renters survey. It was conducted by Wilder Research and released to coincide with the annual Great American Smokeout, a stop-smoking effort started in 1974 in Minnesota.

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Public sentiment on Lakeville smoking ordinance change mixed  

"What will you track next? How many bottles of wine I purchased this week? How about how many sabot slugs I bought this year for deer hunting?"

These comments were gathered during a 60-day public input window opened to gather feedback regarding a proposed ordinance requiring an age verification log to purchase tobacco-related devices. Tobacco related devices, as defined by current city ordinances, include pipes, rolling papers, and rolling machines.

The age verification log would require anyone of legal age purchasing tobacco-related devices to provide proper identification and sign a register with the following information: name, address, and phone number. The business would retain that information for three years, and provide it upon request, for inspection and copying, to the Lakeville Police Department.

Twelve people commented during the 60-day comment period (Aug. 17-Oct. 15), and 75 percent were not in favor of the proposed changes. The results were presented during the Oct. 19 Lakeville City Council meeting.

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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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Smoking ban in parks OK'd by City Council  

The Savage City Council unanimously approved a policy Monday night (Oct. 19) that will ban smoking and tobacco use in all city parks.

The policy change has been under consideration by the City Council for the past month and discussed by the Parks, Recreation and Natural Resources Commission since April.

Public Works Director John Powell said that since this is a policy change, and not an ordinance, once signs have been installed then people will be asked to smoke in the designated areas.

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McISAAC: Holy Smokes! 

The law is the same. It is not perfect, and it is not everyone’s ideal. FSPTCA is neither perfect nor ideal. Its precautionary measures are commendable but its limitations too many. As Wagner said, “It’s obstructing capitalism. It’s basically shutting down a company. Djarum, imported by Kretek, only sells flavored cigarettes, such as cloves.”

Djarum is selling their products to people of legal age. They are allowed to target ads at younger people. Though the law cracks down on this, they are not the ones who are responsible for not taking IDs and selling their products to underage smokers. And with the law coming down harder on underage smoking and advertising aimed at children, it seems unfair to deprive smokers of options. “Part of underage smoking is doing something just to get away with it, and some kids will try it anyways,” said Adair. “The images and lack of flavoring will only help to a certain extent.”

Change can be good, and it is important to keep the future in mind. However, it is also important to remember that freedoms exist for a reason, and ridding people of options will not force them to get rid of habits altogether.

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Don't smoke 'em ... in city parks 

If you got ‘em, don’t smoke ‘em – in city parks that is.

Although the Savage City Council hasn’t formally updated the city’s tobacco use policy in parks, the consensus at Monday night’s (Oct. 12) work session was to extend the policy to ban smoking in the city’s 20 parks.

The City Council is scheduled to formally update the policy at its next meeting on Monday, Oct. 19.

The policy shift was initiated by members of the Savage Parks, Recreation and Natural Resources Commission, who listened to a presentation about extending the no smoking policy by Tobacco-Free Youth Recreation in April and approved the change in July.

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RCTC bans tobacco use on campus  

Rochester Community and Technical College said Friday that it will ban all smoking and tobacco use on its 500-acre campus on Jan. 1.

State law had already forbidden smoking in public places, but smoking had been permitted in parking lots, 20 feet outside of building entrances and in an outdoor amphitheater. That will change Jan. 1.

The college had been studying the issue for several years, an official said, but decided to take action after hearing more and more complaints about second-hand smoke. Also, a student nurse had reported a number of adverse reactions to secondhand smoke among students with asthma or some other allergic condition.

There are about a dozen public and private higher education institutions in Minnesota, including Winona State University and Minnesota State University, Moorhead, that have already opted to go smoke-free.

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Letter: Smokeless trip  

I recently returned from an eight-day trip to the twin cities of St. Paul and Minneapolis, Minn., where smoking in public places is not allowed. It was a delight to enter a restaurant or bar and not be saturated in secondhand smoke.

The fact that every venue we entered was filled to capacity demonstrates that the nonsmoking law didn't hamper any customers from enjoying these places. We made a side trip to Wisconsin but returned to Minnesota to eat when we could not find a restaurant with a nonsmoking regulation.

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CHLEBECK: Saying no to tobacco company cash  

The 1998 Minnesota Tobacco Settlement and the 1998 Master Settlement Agreement were hailed as means to regulate tobacco industry advertising and promotion. . . .

Despite these prohibitions, tobacco companies can still promote themselves. One way is charitable giving to nonprofit organizations and community festivals. The tobacco industry regularly uses this type of promotion to build relationships with a community, to legitimize itself, and ultimately to promote tobacco products. Because the tobacco industry's charitable donations also help create positive views of the industry and its deadly products, they can silence community members and groups promoting initiatives like smoke-free air policies and laws that decrease youth access to tobacco and tobacco promotion. . . .

Recently, President Obama signed the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act. This law gives the Food and Drug Administration the authority to regulate tobacco, and permits local governments to regulate tobacco advertising and promotion at the local level-something that could not be done before. Although this law opens the door for new tobacco control efforts, it also provides opportunities for the industry to insert itself into communities in an effort to block regulations. The tobacco industry will undoubtedly try to strengthen relationships with local community leaders and nonprofits in order to prevent local advertising restrictions. That is why it is imperative that nonprofits take a stand against linking themselves to the tobacco industry by taking tobacco money.

By adopting a tobacco-free funding policy, an organization states, in writing, that it will not accept any donations from the tobacco industry and, as a result, will not let the tobacco industry use its good name to promote its products or silence the voices promoting important pro-health legislation. Even if an organization does not plan to accept tobacco industry money, a written policy will withstand the test of time. A written policy ensures that an organization, its members, and staff, in spite of turnover, will uphold a stand against participating in tobacco industry self-promotion.

For more information about how your organization can adopt a tobacco-free funding policy, please contact Bernadette Chlebeck, Community Organizer with the Ramsey Tobacco Coalition, at 651-646-3005 or bc@ansrmn.org

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Editorial: Smoking survey yields good news 

The Minnesota Adult Tobacco Survey released findings Thursday that found many Minnesotans have quit smoking. It found the adult smoking rate declined to 17 percent — down from 22 percent in 1999. That represents 164,000 fewer smokers.

Nationally, rates are around 20 percent and have been stuck there since 2004 — which makes the news about Minnesota’s decline all the more impressive. . . .

Dr. Barbara Schillo,director of Research Programs for ClearWay Minnesota, said it best: “This dramatic decline in the smoking rate means that fewer Minnesota families will suffer the health and economic devastation of tobacco-related diseases.”

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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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Tobacco laws to change in October 

According to the FDA's Web site, the FDA plans to, by October, prohibit cigarettes from having "candy, fruit or spice flavors as their characterizing flavors." The FDA is expected to set in more regulations as time passes. Such regulations may include:

By January 2010, tobacco manufacturers and importers are expected to have to submit product information to the FDA.

By April 2010, the FDA plans to reissue a 1996 regulation aimed at reducing tobacco use among minors.

By July of 2010, it is expected that tobacco manufacturers will no longer be able to use the terms "light," "low" or "mild" without a special order from the FDA. The FDA also plans to revise warning labels on smokeless tobacco products

By October 2012, the FDA plans to strengthen the warning labels on cigarette packs. In St. Cloud, some businesses rely on the sale of flavored tobacco products. The Smoke Shop, located on Division Street, is one such shop

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Coalition seeking support for smoke-free city 

As more cities move toward smoking bans in all buildings, the Richland County Tobacco Free Coalition is following suit. While Wilkin County went smoke free with the statewide Minnesota Freedom to Breathe Act in 2007, North Dakota businesses stayed open to smokers.

Richland County Tobacco Prevention Coordinator Jason Bergstrand visited the Wilkin County Alcohol Tobacco and Other Drugs Coalition (ATOD) Thursday to ask for support in his and the coalition efforts in making Wahpeton a smoke-free city. The ATOD agreed to sign a letter of support when the time comes. Bergstrand said there is talk of a vaccine to cure cancer.

"The vaccine is available to us already," Bergstrand said. "It's tobacco and smoking prevention." He added that a high tax on tobacco products, smoke-free laws, secondhand smoking laws and smoke-free work places are just a few preventive methods in place around the country.

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$47 million says Minnesotans can be healthier 

Minnesota will announce $47 million in grants to 40 communities to fight smoking and obesity today, the first fruits of a landmark 2008 bill designed to revamp and improve health care in the state.

The program's launch puts Minnesota months ahead of the rest of the country, as Congress debates a national overhaul of the health care system.

"We are the first state in the nation to start with a statewide investment in preventing future health problems," Health Commissioner Dr. Sanne Magnan said Tuesday.

She and Gov. Tim Pawlenty will announce details of the grant this afternoon.

Soaring health care costs -- projected to rise 43 percent over the next five years in Minnesota, from $40 billion this year to $61.5 billion in 2014 -- are driving states and Congress to take on the complex and politically charged task of rethinking how health care is provided and financed.

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MDH Awards $47M in Grants to Fight Obesity, Tobacco 

The Minnesota Department of Health awarded millions of dollars in state grants through a new program aimed at fighting the top three causes of preventable illness and death in the United States--tobacco use, physical inactivity and poor nutrition.

The MDH said it awarded 39 grants, worth $47 million, through the Statewide Health Improvement Program, or SHIP. . . .

By reducing preventable deaths and illness, MDH projects SHIP will save an estimated $1.9 billion in Minnesota by 2015.

A full list of all 39 grant recipients is available online at www.health.state.mn.us/healthreform/ship.

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