The mission of ClearWay Minnesota is to enhance life in Minnesota by reducing tobacco use and exposure to secondhand smoke through research, action and collaboration. We were created in 1998 and entrusted with overseeing 3 percent of the state’s tobacco settlement funds. We operate under the ongoing jurisdiction of the Ramsey County District Court.

We use our portion of the settlement to help Minnesotans quit smoking and tobacco  use,
and to fund tobacco-related research, programs and initiatives around the state. We work to raise people’s awareness of the dangers of tobacco and to make Minnesota a healthier place.

In 1994, the state of Minnesota joined with Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota to bring a lawsuit against the tobacco companies. The suit accused the industry of deceiving Minnesotans about the harmful nature of their products. The case uncovered tens of thousands of secret documents revealing what the tobacco companies had hidden about the link between cigarettes and cancer, the addictiveness of nicotine and other inherent dangers of tobacco.

In May 1998, the tobacco companies settled, with the state receiving $6.1 billion in a settlement agreement and Blue Cross receiving $469 million. In August of that same year, the Ramsey County District Court approved the state’s plan to administer 3 percent of the settlement through a new independent nonprofit tobacco control organization: ClearWay Minnesota.