Roseville became the latest city in the Metro to protect youth when the City Council unanimously voted to raise the tobacco sales age to 21 on June 18. Council member Robert Willmus, who brought this to the city council last year, said he especially liked seeing all the youth in the audience. He talked about his son, a rising high school senior, sharing stories and videos of teens smoking inschool. “For me, where it really hits home is with the young people and what we can do to stop them from starting,” Willmus said. Roseville is the 11th city in Minnesota to raise the tobacco sales age to 21. Edina, Saint Louis Park, Bloomington, Plymouth, North Mankato, Falcon Heights, Shoreview, Minneapolis, Saint Peter and Richfield have also raised the tobacco sales age to 21. Council member Lisa Laliberte said this was a positive step for Roseville, but said its neighboring cities, as well as the state, needs to step up on this issue. “We are doing this, and this is great, but there’s a lot of other work,” Laliberte said. “We border 10 cities, and three have done this, but seven haven’t. I challenge our state legislators to look at this.” Community members showed up in force, with more than 60 packing the chambers, to support this life-saving ordinance. Many shared stories of personal loss from tobacco use and nicotine addiction. They urged the council to support the ordinance to prevent another generation from suffering the same fate. “It’s heartening to see the young people here,” council member Tammy McGehee said. “I think it’s important to provide less access for the younger students.” Roseville Area High School student Grace Jackson spoke about the prevalence of vaping among her classmates. “Vape pens or e-cigs are a big problem in my high school,” Jackson said. “I constantly see my classmates vaping outside and at parties. I try to stay away from it, but it’s so prevalent. It’s really unavoidable.” Council member Jason Etten, who is a teacher, said he is also seeing what Jackson testified about. “It’s happening in the classrooms, and it’s something we need to make less possible,” Etten said. “I hope this is a tool we move forward to reduce some of the people from starting.” Youth e-cigarette use has increased in the last three years nearly 50 percent, according to the Minnesota Department of Health. Nearly one in five Minnesota High School students currently uses e-cigarettes, according to the 2017 Minnesota Youth Tobacco Survey. One brand of electronic cigarette, JUUL, is particularly concerning to parent and public health professional, said Katie Engman. “The Juul delivers nicotine more quickly, more effectively and at higher doses than other e-cigarettes. All of that increases the risk of addiction and no amount of nicotine is safe for young people.” Approximately 95 percent of current adult smokers started before they turned 21. If youth don’t start smoking before the age of 21, they likely never will.

The Richfield City Council showed strong leadership in protecting the health and well-being of its residents on June 12 by voting unanimously to raise the tobacco sales age to 21. Council member Maria Regan Gonzalez championed the ordinance, along with council members Mike Howard and Edwina Garcia. Council member Simon Trautmann and Mayor Pat Elliott also voted in favor. “This is not about stigmatizing smokers or stigmatizing the vaping community,” Gonzalez said. “It is about limiting access for our youth to nicotine and starting smoking.” Richfield is the 10th city in Minnesota to raise the tobacco sales age to 21. Edina, Saint Louis Park, Bloomington, Plymouth, North Mankato, Falcon Heights, Shoreview, Minneapolis and Saint Peter have also raised the tobacco sales age to 21. More than 95 percent of current smokers started smoking before they turned 21. If youth don’t start smoking before the age of 21, they likely never will. “Thank you to the City of Richfield for being a leader in our state and protecting future generations to come from harmful and addictive products including vapes and e-cigarettes,” said University of Minnesota student and Richfield resident Nia Kilstofte.

The Minneapolis City Council voted unanimously on May 25 to raise the tobacco sales age to 21, drawing a standing ovation from the large crowd of green-shirted Tobacco 21 advocates in the chambers. The council members also stood and clapped after the passage of the ordinance. Council Members Andrew Johnson and Jeremiah Ellison co-authored the ordinance, which will reduce youth smoking and combat tobacco industry targeting. Immediately after the conclusion of the council meeting, Mayor Jacob Frey held a press conference in support of the ordinance and signed it into law. “Our youth and our students are the ones changing hearts and minds on many things,” Frey said. “Today, the unanimous vote is a result of your hard work and persistence.” Minneapolis is the eighth city in Minnesota to raise the tobacco sales age to 21. Edina, Saint Louis Park, Bloomington, Plymouth, North Mankato, Falcon Heights and Shoreview have also raised the tobacco sales age to 21. Frey named all these cities and said, “Now, Minneapolis has joined them too!” “Let’s go save some lives,” Frey said as he signed the ordinance. Frey and Johnson also encouraged state lawmakers to turn this into state law and protect all youth in Minnesota. Studies project 30,000 youth would not start smoking during the next 15 years if enacted across the state. More than 95 percent of current smokers started smoking before they turned 21. If youth don’t start smoking before the age of 21, they likely never will. More than 300 cities and five states nationally have raised the age to 21. “Cigarettes are easy to get your hands on because seniors can go down the street to the local store and get them,” Johnson said. “The best way to address this is by making sure youth never start. We won’t prevent every youth from getting cigarettes, but it’s not intended to. It will make it harder. It will save lives. Let’s get this thing done across the state of Minnesota.” Added Ellison, “We know we want to support our businesses, but nothing can come at the expense of our youth and our community at large.” Derall Pratt, a youth working with Breathe Free North out of NorthPoint Health & Wellness, said during the mayor’s press conference he has seen the rise of e-cigarette usage among his peers during the past few years. “Hopefully, this is the first step toward a tobacco-free generation,” Pratt said. Minneapolis Parks Board Commissioner LaTrisha Vetaw, who works at NorthPoint Health & Wellness, commended the city council for the unanimous vote, saying, “Today, our city took another step toward a tobacco-free future. The adoption of this ordinance shows our young people their voices matter. Thanks for having the courage to protect youth.” Sylvia Amos, of the StairStep Foundation, emotionally spoke about how tobacco-related illnesses claimed the lives of many important people in her family, including her mother and husband. She talked about how the tobacco industry particularly targets the African American community. “We are taking the health of our community back and protecting the next generation from tobacco addiction,” Amos said. We cannot afford to have another generation sentenced to death because tobacco companies need to replace those who have died with new, young smokers.” The ordinance will go into effect on Oct. 1, 2018.

Falcon Heights took major steps to protect its youth and residents on May 9, when it became the first city in the state to restrict the sale of all flavored tobacco products to adult-only tobacco stores and raise the tobacco sales age to 21. The measures passed on a 3-2 vote. Falcon Heights is the second city in two days – and seventh overall in Minnesota – to raise the tobacco sales age to 21, following Shoreview, which voted to raise the age to 21 on Monday. Edina, Saint Louis Park, Bloomington, Plymouth and North Mankato have also raised the tobacco sales age to 21. More than 95 percent of current smokers started smoking before they turned 21. If youth don’t start smoking before the age of 21, they likely never will. Mayor Peter Lindstrom cast the deciding vote after talking about how the letters he received in support of the ordinance hit home for him. He quoted a student who wrote, “We need to make the healthiest choice the easiest choice.” “For 17 years, all the efforts have worked, but there’s been a change, and we need to double down our efforts now. Not tomorrow, but now,” Lindstrom said, citing the Minnesota Youth Tobacco Survey, which saw an increase in youth tobacco use for the first time in 17 years. Much of the increase has been attributed to increased use of e-cigarettes and cheap, flavored cigars. “It’s everywhere,” said Roseville Area High School junior Vakare Bartkaitis. “There are no doors on our bathrooms because of people using e-cigarettes. You can smell it walking into the bathrooms. They go sit in a circle inside the handicap stall and pass it around. This ordinance will help prevent youth from making the wrong decisions, so we can lead our healthiest and happiest lives.” Additionally, Falcon Heights is seventh city in the state to restrict the sale of flavored tobacco. Falcon Heights follows Minneapolis, Saint Paul, Shoreview, Saint Louis Park, Robbinsdale and Duluth. Three other cities, Minneapolis, Saint Paul and Duluth, have restricted menthol.

In a growing trend in Minnesota, Shoreview became the sixth city in the state to raise the tobacco sales age to 21 when the Shoreview City Council unanimously approved the ordinance on June 7. “The city of Shoreview has a long history of tobacco prevention,” Mayor Sandy Martin said. “This will be monumental.” Shoreview joins Edina, Saint Louis Park, Bloomington, Plymouth and North Mankato in Minnesota. There are five states and more than 300 municipalities that have raised the sales age for all tobacco products to 21. More than 95 percent of current smokers started smoking before they turned 21. If youth don’t start smoking before the age of 21, they likely never will. “I want to help other youth not get started using tobacco products,” said Mounds View senior Meghan McFarling, who was one of four students who testified. “Vaping has exploded in popularity, and my peers aren’t aware of the danger of products, such as JUUL. This ordinance will make it harder for young kids to get access to these products by taking them out of the high schools. This will help to stop the start.” Shoreview has been a champion for health. Just two years ago, the council voted to restrict the sale of flavored products to adult-only tobacco stores. A national consensus is growing to prevent addictions and future health problems by raising the sale age of tobacco products to 21. Research shows that increasing the tobacco age in Minnesota would prevent 30,000 youth from becoming smokers over the next 15 years.

Thanks to all our partners and advocates who made the Minnesotans for a Smoke-Free Generation a great day! Around 300 total advocates gathered to meet with their respective legislators on March 22, 2018. Youth from John Glenn Middle School, Humboldt Senior High, Henry Sibley High, Mounds View High and also from the Vision in Living Life: Change is Possible program partnered with ANSR.

History was made in 2017 as tobacco companies were finally forced to tell the truth about their deadly products. A federal court found major tobacco companies Philip Morris (now Altria), R.J. Reynolds and Lorillard engaged in fraud, conspiracy and racketeering to hide the dangers of smoking and secondhand smoke and how they manipulated their products to create and sustain addiction. Their deceptive acts included misleading the public, suppressing research and destroying documents to protect their profits. After failed appeals, the industry was forced to start running ads containing corrective statements. The ads admit facts such as the following: Smoking kills, on average, 1,200 Americans. Every day. More people die every year from smoking than from murder, AIDS, suicide, drugs, car crashes and alcohol, combined. Cigarette companies intentionally designed cigarettes with enough nicotine to create and sustain addiction. All cigarettes cause cancer, lung disease, heart attacks and premature death – “lights,” “low tar,” “ultra lights,” and “naturals.” There is no safe cigarette. There’s no safe level of exposure to secondhand smoke.

The Robbinsdale City Council took strong measures to protect youth from the harms of tobacco on Dec. 5. The City Council voted unanimously to restrict the sale of flavored tobacco products to adult-only tobacco stores and to establish a minimum price for cheap, flavored cigars. Robbinsdale is the fifth Minnesota to restrict the sale of flavored tobacco, following, Minneapolis, Saint Paul, Shoreview and Saint Louis Park. Several Minnesota cities have set minimum prices for cigars, including Minneapolis, Saint Paul, Brooklyn Center, Bloomington, Richfield and Maplewood. “For me, I want to lead and not just say the lowest common denominator is what we should go with,” councilmember Dan Rogan said after the first reading. “This change makes sense. It puts us in line with what other forward-looking communities are doing who are trying to address this.” In Robbinsdale, flavored cigars cost as little as three for 89 cents. This ordinance sets a minimum price of $2.60 per cigar and $10.40 for packs of four or more. Moving flavored cigars, which are often brightly packaged and are geared toward youth initiation, to adult-only tobacco stores reduces the visibility of the products. “Thank you to the city council for taking the steps to make Robbinsdale a healthier city,” said advocate Kate Richardson, who organized support within the community for the policies. “I’m thankful your involvement and concern for the issue and for listening to residents and taking it into consideration. “I look forward to continuing the process in making our city great and continuing the conversation around increasing the tobacco sales age to 21 in the near future. “We’ve taken a great step tonight to protect our youth.  I’m pleased with all the other Robbinsdale residents who came forward to support a healthy community.” Robbinsdale considered raising the sale age for tobacco to 21 but didn’t vote on that. The council passed a resolution supporting a statewide initiative to raise the age to 21.

The Saint Louis Park City Council showed its dedication to protecting its youth on Dec. 4. The City Council voted unanimously to restrict the sale of flavored tobacco products within the city. This is the second major initiative the city has undertaken to reduce youth smoking. The city also raised the tobacco sale age to 21. The city is the fourth in Minnesota to restrict the sale of flavored tobacco, following, Minneapolis, Saint Paul and Shoreview. Earlier this year, Saint Louis Park was the second city to raise the sale age for tobacco products to 21. It is the first city in Minnesota to do both. “I’m proud we passed Tobacco 21, but this is also necessary,” councilmember Sue Sanger said during the hearing on Nov. 20. “Big Tobacco is aiming (these products) at younger people to get them hooked. I brought this issue up more than a year ago with the goal and hope of improving the public health of the entire community but especially the public health of our younger population and to try and make it more difficult for younger people to have access to flavored tobacco and all tobacco products.” In 2009, the Food and Drug Administration banned flavoring in cigarettes but didn’t extend this to other tobacco products. Saint Louis Park’s action closes that loophole. The tobacco industry has a long history of targeting young people with flavored tobacco. “Most start out because it seems cool,” said Saint Louis Park High sophomore Eitan Weinstein, “But it can lead to nicotine addiction and further health problems in the future.” Matt Flory, president elect of the Minnesota Public Health Association and a resident, said he was proud of the council. “As a father, I am proud to be raising my kids in a community that puts children first. All seven city council members recognize the potential public health impact of Tobacco 21 and a ban on flavored tobacco,” Flory said. “I hope other cities will join us to create a smoke-free generation throughout Minnesota.”

The Plymouth City Council took steps to protect its youth by voting 4-3 to raise the sale age for all tobacco products to 21 on Nov. 28. Council members Jim Davis and Ned Carroll urged fellow members to support the ordinance, making Plymouth a leader in the state. Council member Jim Willis was also vocal in his support, while Judy Johnson also voted in favor. “We need to take the lead on this,” Carroll said. Added Davis, “Health issues associated with smoking are well-documented. I’d rather be a leader than a follower on this.” Plymouth became the fourth city in Minnesota to raise the age to 21. The city joins five states – Hawaii, California, New Jersey, Maine and Oregon – and more than 275 municipalities in protecting youth by raising the sales age for tobacco to 21. Edina, St. Louis Park, and Bloomington also raised the tobacco sales age this year. More than 95 percent of current smokers started smoking before they turned 21. If youth don’t start smoking before the age of 21, they likely never will. Needham, Mass., raised the tobacco age to 21 in 2005 and within five years, tobacco use among high school students decreased by nearly half. “It’s inspiring to see local advocacy in action and to see our city council choose protecting kids over Big Tobacco profits,” said advocate Caitlin DeVos, who volunteers with the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network. “I’m grateful to the community members who showed support and to see that the council wants to advocate with us at the state level.”

One of the fastest growing trends in reducing the youth tobacco usage rates is centered around lifting the sales age for tobacco to 21. While Minnesota as a state has not taken a full look at this, local municipalities are taking it on themselves to protect youth. The Bloomington City Council did its part with a unanimous vote on Nov. 6 to raise the sale age for all tobacco products to 21. “Adopting this now, instead of three months or six months from now, we probably will save somebody’s life,” said Bloomington Council Member Eldon Spencer. “We might save five or 10 lives and that’s probably more than we do at the average Council meeting. So, I think it is a very good step and I want to be part of it.” Bloomington became the third city in Minnesota to raise the age to 21. In May, Edina became the first city in Minnesota to raise the age to 21. Saint Louis Park followed in June. “I am proud to be a part of a community that is willing to take the extra step to protect our young people from the harms of tobacco,” said Jenna Carter, a mother and Bloomington resident who works for Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota Center for Prevention. “I have seen first-hand what addiction to tobacco can do, and I am happy that the Bloomington City Council unanimously voted for this ordinance.” Bloomington’s Council had previously taken steps to protect its youth by establishing a minimum price for cheap, flavored cigars. Before that, cigars were as cheap as three for $.99.

The Saint Paul City Council showed strong leadership in protecting the health and well-being of its residents on Nov. 1 by restricting the sale of menthol tobacco products to adult-only tobacco and liquor stores. The council passed the ordinance 6-1. Councilmember Jane Prince authored the ordinance, which is designed to reduce youth smoking and combat tobacco industry targeting. “I decided to support the menthol restriction in response to a very broad-based coalition of community groups: people of color, young people, the LGBTQ community, the medical community, and our own public health department,” Prince said. “The coalition made me aware that the tobacco industry has targeted young people and communities of color for decades, focusing the sale of menthol products in communities like the ones I represent. I am fed up with this horrible industry that has cost our city, state and nation a tremendous fortune in dollars and, more importantly, lives.” The tobacco industry has targeted the African American community for five decades with menthol tobacco products. The industry also highly targets youth, women and the LGBTQ community. This has contributed to the health disparities seen in Saint Paul and across Minnesota. “Menthol is so addictive that it makes it extremely hard to quit,” said Sylvia Amos, President of the Minnesota State Baptist Convention Women’s Auxiliary. “This fight is about saving lives. Saint Paul is fortunate to have a City Council that is willing to lead on this issue.” The ordinance had tremendous community support behind it, including 50-plus organizations involved in the Minnesota Menthol Coalition, such as Aurora-St. Anthony Neighborhood Development Corporation, African American Leadership Forum, Saint Paul National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), God Squad, Hmong Health Care Professionals Coalition (HHCPC) and Anglos Latinos Motivados a Superarse (ALMAS), as well as numerous faith-based organizations and churches. Many African American community leaders, including Minnesota Rep. Rena Moran, strongly supported the ordinance. The community was passionate in placing the health of residents over profits for the tobacco industry. “When the opposition said we had nothing to lose, it hurt me to the core,” said Damone Presley, ASANDC Youth Count Program Director, “We lose lives. We lose families, children, elders. We lose our community. Thanks to the Saint Paul City Council for putting youth over tobacco industry profits. This ordinance will help protect our communities from the predatory tobacco industry.”