Funding comprehensive tobacco control prevents youth from becoming addicted to tobacco and saves lives. States that have made larger investments in reducing tobacco’s harm sell fewer cigarettes and have seen faster declines in smoking. In Minnesota, tobacco control programs have helped reduce smoking rates by 29 percent since 1993.
But despite receiving an estimated $1.4 billion from ongoing tobacco settlement payments and tobacco taxes in 2015, Minnesota is spending less than 50 percent of what the CDC recommends for an effective program. As a proven way to reduce tobacco use, funding for tobacco control efforts in our state should be increased. Learn more about this issue here.