By: Mỹ Linh Nguyễn, Clara Seeley, Lily DeWitt, Ethan Kinsella, Princeton Vang, and Summer Balfanz The tobacco industry will do anything to entice youth. Their influence is deeply embedded in our communities. They use bright colors and appealing flavors, sales and discounted prices, and social media and popular influencers to make their products seem trendy and mainstream. We’ve seen the results of the tobacco industry’s tactics loud and clear. Commercial tobacco use has taken over our school bathrooms, our social media feeds, and sadly, many of our friends’ lives. So how do we push back? We think we know the answer: adults working alongside young people, encouraging youth to use their power and their voices to stand up and speak out. That’s exactly what we’ve been doing for more than two years at the Ramsey Student Action Team (SAT) with the support of the Association for Nonsmokers-MN (ANSR-MN). SAT is a group of more than 20 high school students from 11 communities across Ramsey County. We are a dedicated group of youth advocates who have learned how to stop the tobacco industry and promote prevention and treatment resources. Our group was honored with the 2025 Group Youth Advocates of the Year Award from Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids for our extensive state and local advocacy efforts. As high school students, we saw the impact commercial tobacco use and nicotine addiction had on our peers, family members, and community, and wanted to do something about it. Our work taught us that our voices matter and are powerful. We are advocating to our city councils, at our social gatherings, in schools and at the state level. Working alongside ANSR, our group was educated about public health and empowered. We were never prouder than when we influenced lawmakers with our written testimony and voices. And working with ANSR, we have reached people our age in schools who are uniquely vulnerable to being hooked on commercial tobacco products. We’ve brought attention to Minnesota’s achievements in fighting big tobacco at a national level. Our relationship with ANSR has been mutually beneficial, something that kickstarted our team members’ personal growth and encouraged the growth and wellbeing of the communities we live in. With ANSR’s support, we have worked to strengthen policies in the cities of Vadnais Heights, Arden Hills, New Brighton, and St. Anthony Village, including ending the sale of flavored vapes and other flavored commercial tobacco products, setting a limit of retailers allowed to sell tobacco products, and increasing fines for retailers who break the law. We are especially proud of our work in Vadnais Heights. In November 2024, their city council voted unanimously to end flavored commercial tobacco sales after members of our group testified, organized letters of support and submitted letters to the editor in the local newspaper. We are motivated and encouraged by our ability to make change. We hope passionately that other young people will continue to be heard and empowered in the same ways we have. Our work is more than the sum of its parts, more than self-knowledge, accomplishments, or the personal growth we have experienced. With the right kind of adult support from ANSR, we have learned how to effectively enact flavor policies that will protect youth, while making sure that our voice is involved. We have worked hard and had a lot of success, but this work comes with challenges, too. Oftentimes, people find themselves thinking commercial tobacco is not an issue that applies to them. If they don’t smoke or vape, that’s all that matters. However, advocating for others is just as important as advocating for yourself. By showing people that someone they know is likely to be impacted, whether it’s their family member, friend, teacher or acquaintance, we are able to have meaningful conversations and make lasting change. We focus on the facts and help people understand the science behind what we’re advocating for. These things have made all the difference. We have certainly faced challenges in our work, including when decision makers are dismissive of youth voices. One experience stands out: we were testifying in support of a policy addressing flavored commercial tobacco products. One council member would not look us in the eye or even try to pay attention to what we were saying. Although this was discouraging, as advocates, we need to have faith in the power of our work and trust that the effort we put in will outweigh any decision maker’s disregard for our voice. As we continue to get the right support from adults to overcome these challenges, we are hopeful for the future. We know that hardworking people who truly care about an issue plaguing our world will always make things happen. Whether they are high school students or adults, everyone is impacted by commercial tobacco. We may be a small group, but we want to do as much as we can to make health a priority and strive for our generation to be a tobacco-free generation. View the published article here: https://sahanjournal.com/sponsored/youth-and-adults-fighting-the-tobacco-industry-together/

Local Advocates Applaud Council Members for Continuing to Make Minneapolis a National Leader in Tobacco Prevention Policies MINNEAPOLIS – Today, the Minneapolis City Council voted to strengthen its tobacco ordinance to prevent youth addiction. The ordinance  sets a minimum price for all e-cigarettes at $25 and creates new restrictions on new tobacco licenses, including restricting new tobacco retailer locations within 300 feet of all K-12 schools, and updating zoning rules to exclude new tobacco product shops from areas that are mainly residential. The Association for Nonsmokers-Minnesota and local advocates applaud the Council for continuing to make Minneapolis a national leader in tobacco prevention policies.  The ordinance, which was introduced by City Council Members Cashman, Chowdhury and Vetaw, passed unanimously. Raising the price of e-cigarettes and limiting where commercial tobacco is sold will keep tobacco products out of the reach of young Minneapolis residents and make it easier for adults to quit. Today’s popular e-cigarettes are flavored and contain high levels of nicotine, which harms the adolescent brain development and primes the next generation for addiction.  “It came up last year when we passed a minimum price for cigarettes, many parents in my ward were concerned that we weren’t really addressing the issue of today, which is that youth are getting addicted to vapes, and if we want to prevent more tobacco abuse and addiction in our city, that we need to address vapes,” said Council Member Katie Cashman, who co-authored the ordinance. “We don’t have distance requirements from tobacco stores, so we decided to add a distance from schools to be in line with cannabis and liquor stores.” “We know that the best way to stop tobacco use and nicotine addiction among young people is to stop the start,” said Council Member Aurin Chowdhury, a co-author on the ordinance. “We know that the health effects, especially for young people, are tremendous – not only on our respiratory systems, but there is so much public health research that shows that vaping can lead to and exacerbate mental health issues, from anxiety, depression and suicidal ideation. We’re taking a step here on Minneapolis City Council to make it less accessible for young people, and we know that one of the best tools we have is pricing.” “I did this work for 20 years before being on the Council, so it’s always a pleasure to see it continue,”  said Council Member LaTrisha Vetaw, a co-author of the policy. “The work was always around cigarettes and the tobacco industry, as they do, swooped in and made e-cigarettes and vape devices huge in this community for young people. This ordinance is part of the work that helps to keep young people from smoking.”  The policy builds on Minneapolis’s groundbreaking leadership on tobacco prevention. In 2024, Minneapolis passed a price minimum of $15 per pack of cigarettes, prohibited price discounting and redemption of coupons for all commercial tobacco products, increased retailer penalties, and closed the tobacco sampling loophole. In 2015, Minneapolis became the first city in Minnesota to restrict fruit- and candy-flavored commercial tobacco products to adult-only stores and set a minimum price for cheap, flavored cigars. Minneapolis amended that policy to limit the sale of menthol tobacco products to adult-only tobacco shops. “The federal government has moved incredibly slow to enact or enforce any regulations on the vape market. The least we can do at the city level is set regulations on the price, knowing that price is the most effective tool for reducing smoking in adults and preventing youth from starting,” said Minneapolis resident Jaclyn Frank, a Community Outreach Coordinator for the Association for Nonsmokers-Minnesota . Minneapolis is the second Minnesota city to set a price minimum for e-cigarettes, following Saint Anthony Village’s adoption of a similar policy earlier this year. The Association for Nonsmokers-Minnesota worked with local leaders and continues to support local and statewide action to prevent commercial tobacco addiction.  Research finds that while only 2 percent of youth in Minnesota use combustible tobacco products, 8.5 to 10.8 percent of youth use e-cigarettes or vapes. Young people are particularly vulnerable to price discounts and promotions, and ordinances that prevent price discounts for vape products are an important tool for protecting youth from the harms of commercial tobacco.  Several community members and addiction prevention leaders spoke at the June 24 committee hearing in support of the ordinance. Here are highlights from their testimony:   Ora Hokes, a grandparent, tobacco prevention educator and faith leader at the Greater Friendship Missionary Baptist Church, said: “Minneapolis has shown incredible leadership over the past decade, passing groundbreaking ordinances around flavored commercial tobacco products and price, including the $15 per pack price you set last year. Unfortunately, the tobacco industry never rests, so we can’t either. Thank you for recognizing that this problem is not solved all at once, but rather through consistent and persistent efforts.” Janet Sanchez, a young adult who works on commercial tobacco and other substance prevention at Indigenous Peoples Task Force, said: “Healthy people raise healthy people. A lot of our people grow up in addiction. Raising the price will help our youth stop and having less access to these products will help our communities in the long run.  Larry Fox, a Minneapolis parent whose young son became addicted to e-cigarettes in high school and struggled with addiction, anxiety and depression, said: “Tobacco companies have targeted minority communities for many years. These companies and the local businesses that sell their products put profits ahead of people, and the result is a deepening mental health crisis, especially among teens. If you care about social equity, I urge you to do everything you can to make vapes less accessible and support this ordinance.”    Damone Presley, who leads Commercial Tobacco Nicotine and Youth Cessation Programs for the Twin Cities Recovery Project, said:  “We’ve allowed the tobacco industry to undervalue our lives for too long. We need to put people over profits. Setting the minimum price of vapes at $25 will help people struggling with addiction to nicotine and help prevent the next generation from being addicted.” Hassan Mohamed, the Tobacco Prevention Coordinator at African Immigrant Community Services in Minneapolis, said: “We have seen the impact that tobacco and especially vaping has had on our young people. This policy change will be beneficial for everyone in all communities. We strongly support the City Council’s ongoing efforts to address tobacco in our city. The tobacco industry targets communities like mine and we must work together to make real, lasting change.”  Gemeda Bulton, Outreach Coordinator for the SubSaharan African Youth and Family Services, said: “Youth are very price sensitive so that is a very good policy. Youth from the communities I serve, like other Minnesota youth, seldom use combustible tobacco now. They use vapes, so it is important that we also make sure that the tobacco industry is not tempting our youth with cheap prices. A $25 minimum price will prevent many young people from starting to vape and will prevent many from getting addicted.”    For more information on tobacco price discounting and e-cigarettes, please view these fact sheets: Don’t Discount My Life  and E-cigs: the Vape Saga Continues .

On April 8th, 2025, Saint Anthony Village City Council voted 4-0 to update their Commercial Tobacco Ordinance . The amendment: Cap the number of commercial tobacco licenses at zero , which will be reached through attrition. Saint Anthony Village currently has five commercial tobacco license holders; End Price Discounting for Commercial Tobacco Products End the redemption of coupons and price discounts for all commercial tobacco products; Set a minimum price and package size for commercial tobacco products. A few examples include: $15 per pack of cigarettes $20 per electronic delivery device $15 per 0.32 ounce package of snus $15 per package of cigars (minimum five cigars) Going beyond Minnesota state law minimums for fines and license suspensions for repeated violations. Saint Anthony Village is the first city in the nation to set a minimum price on vapes at $20 and the third city in Minnesota to cap their commercial tobacco licenses at zero. One-third of adult smokers use tobacco coupons or discounts. Higher commercial tobacco prices lead to reduced adult smoking rates, less youth initiation, and more quit attempts and calls to quit lines. These changes will protect Saint Anthony Village youth and residents from tobacco industry targeting, reduce the appeal of commercial tobacco products, and support those who are trying to quit using commercial tobacco. ANSR applauds the Council for voting in support of this ordinance and putting their residents’ health first. Thank you to everyone who emailed, called, testified, sent a letter of support, attended a council meeting, and/or spread the word about this ordinance. Your voice matters in creating important public health policy change!

ANSR staff presented to faculty and staff at the University of Minnesota's Tobacco Research Programs in December 2024. The presentation, titled "Research in action: using data to advocate for commercial tobacco policies", covered the broad range of ANSR's programs and how we rely on research to ensure the policies we pursue are both effective and cutting edge. You can watch the presentation here:  https://youtu.be/dobFQA6EJQo .

This updated map highlights Minnesota communities actively working to restrict or prohibit the sale of flavored tobacco products, including menthol. It distinguishes between areas with comprehensive policies banning all flavored tobacco and those with partial restrictions targeting e-cigarettes or specific flavored tobacco products. These efforts aim to reduce youth access to addictive substances and promote public health.

The Vadnais Heights City Council voted unanimously to adopt a revised Commercial Tobacco Ordinance, marking a significant step forward in promoting public health within the community. The new ordinance includes: A ban on the sale of all flavored commercial tobacco products; A cap on retail tobacco licenses at six; Strengthened penalties, with the removal of PUP penalties for violators. This policy is marking a significant step forward in promoting public health within the community, helping reduce youth access to flavored tobacco products and limiting the spread of tobacco-related harm. Thank you to everyone who emailed, called, testified, sent a letter of support, attended a council meeting, and/or spread the word about this ordinance. Vadnais Heights is the 12th city in the state to completely end the sale of flavors. Vadnais Heights has taken bold action to create a thriving community for all.

Minneapolis, Minn.  – The Hennepin County Board of Commissioners showed strong leadership in protecting the health and safety of its residents on Feb. 10. The board voted 6-1 to prohibit electronic cigarette use in most public indoor spaces. The ordinance update means the use of electronic cigarettes is not allowed anywhere conventional cigarette use is also not allowed, such as work places, restaurants and bars. “Smoking is the leading cause of preventable death and disease in Minnesota, and this change is a necessary step in protecting the right of Minnesotans to breathe clean air,” said Commissioner Marion Greene, the champion of the ordinance. “We are also committed to health for our youngest populations. Nicotine is addictive, affects youth brain development. E-cigarette flavors are heavily targeted to youth and normalize smoking behavior.” This ordinance change helps protect the general public from exposure to electronic cigarette emissions, which are known to contain ingredients that are harmful to human health.  Further, this ordinance upholds a smoke-free norm and protects youth from exposure to these products, which is important given that electronic cigarettes are becoming popular with high school students. The recent Minnesota Youth Tobacco Survey, released in November, shows 28 percent of high school students have tried e-cigarettes, and 13 percent have used or tried them in the past 30 days. Nearly a quarter of those who have tried e-cigarettes have never tried conventional tobacco products. “This is a huge win for public health and the people of Minnesota,” said Betsy Brock, Research Director for the Association for Nonsmokers-Minnesota (ANSR). “Hennepin County is our state’s most populated county and an economic engine for the region. This policy will protect many residents and workers. Our hope is other counties and cities, and eventually the state, will follow Hennepin’s lead.”

July 1, 2022 Commissioner Robert M. Califf M.D. c/o Division of Dockets Management HFA-305 Food and Drug Administration 5630 Fishers Lane, Room 1061 Rockville, MD 20825 Re: Proposed tobacco product standard eliminating menthol as a characterizing flavor in cigarettes Docket No. FDA-2021-N-1349 Dear Commissioner Califf, On April 28, 2022, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration proposed an historic rule to prohibit menthol as a characterizing flavor in cigarettes. The Association for Nonsmokers-Minnesota (ANSR) from Saint Paul, Minnesota is pleased to submit these comments to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in strong support of the proposed product standard prohibiting menthol as a characterizing flavor in cigarettes, which will reduce youth smoking, save lives, and advance health equity. The proposed rule will have an enormous public health impact both in the short and long term. Founded in 1975, ANSR is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to reducing the human and economic costs of commercial tobacco use. ANSR is Minnesota’s oldest nonprofit dedicated solely to tobacco control and has a proven track record of passing bold tobacco control policies. Our core commitments are to reduce the number of young smokers, combat health inequities, and advocate for the health of all Minnesotans and have a strong history of collaboration with diverse partners and community groups to advance policy change at the city, county, and state level. ANSR has led efforts in several cities across the state to restrict or end the sale of menthol and all flavored tobacco products. While the decision is long overdue, this action is a powerful and crucial step toward mitigating some of the disparities in health outcomes for minority communities in our state, especially among Black Minnesotans. Prohibiting menthol cigarettes would decrease tobacco-related health disparities and advance health equity, especially among Black Americans. Menthol cigarettes have caused substantial harm to public health, and particularly to Black Americans. For more than 60 years, the tobacco industry has targeted Black Americans with marketing and price promotions for menthol cigarettes,¹ and as a result, 85% of Black smokers smoke menthol cigarettes compared to 29% of White smokers.² Consequently, Black Americans are less likely to successfully quit smoking ³ and suffer disproportionately from tobacco-related disease and death. ⁴ Despite accounting for 12% of the population, Black Americans represented 41% of premature deaths caused by menthol cigarettes between 1980 and 2018.⁵ In addition to youth and Black smokers, preference for menthol is also disproportionately high among Hispanic and Asian smokers, lesbian, gay, and bisexual smokers, smokers with mental health problems, socioeconomically disadvantaged populations, and pregnant women.⁶ Importantly, the proposed product standard is expected to substantially decrease tobacco-related health disparities and to advance health equity across population groups. Smoking remains the leading cause of preventable disease and death in the United States.⁷ Prohibiting menthol cigarettes, which are more difficult to quit than non-menthol cigarettes, will reduce this burden by increasing smoking cessation.⁸ A research study led by the African American Leadership Forum in 2016 found that U.S.-born African Americans confirm menthol tobacco is a serious threat to their health with 84% of surveyed smokers smoke a brand that is menthol and 72% of surveyed smokers agreed menthol makes it harder to quit. The 2016 research also showed that a majority of African American community members support new laws to reduce tobacco’s harm with 69% of surveyed smokers supporting more laws to reduce the harms of smoking and 60% of surveyed smokers said they would quit if menthol was no longer sold in stores. This data clearly illustrates that removing menthol and flavored tobacco from the marketplace will address health disparities caused by Big Tobacco’s lethal tactics. Racism is a public health crisis. Clearing the market of menthol and all flavored products will directly improve the health of Black communities and other groups targeted by Big Tobacco. Menthol makes smoking easier and more attractive for youth. Menthol makes experimentation easier because it can mask irritation from smoking. Menthol flavoring makes it easier for kids to start smoking and harder for adults to quit.⁹,¹⁰ Menthol tobacco products appeal to youth. More than a third of Minnesota adolescent smokers (34 percent) report smoking menthol cigarettes, compared to 28 percent of Minnesota adult smokers.¹¹, ¹² There is more that can be done to prevent youth from becoming addicted to commercial tobacco products and the predatory practices of the tobacco industry. There is local support and momentum for menthol restrictions. In Minnesota, 17 cities have passed strong ordinances to restrict or end the sales of menthol tobacco products. ANSR has created and led the community-driven campaign, Beautiful Lie Ugly Truth ( www.beautifullieuglytruth.org ), to engage with communities that have been disproportionately impacted by tobacco use and encourage decision makers to pass comprehensive policies to reduce access to menthol tobacco products, Since 2017, ANSR has worked with some of the biggest cities in the metro area such as Minneapolis, Saint Paul, Bloomington, Edina and Roseville to pass some of the first comprehensive restrictions on the sale of all menthol-flavored tobacco products in the country. These cities have successfully adopted and implemented restrictions to sell menthol tobacco products and substantially reduced access and availability of these products. The number of outlets selling menthol tobacco products decreased by 76% in Minneapolis and 62% in St. Paul.¹³ There are several more municipalities that continue to show support for comprehensive regulation of menthol tobacco products in their communities. Prohibiting menthol as a characterizing flavor in cigarettes will help to reduce the tremendous toll of tobacco in Minnesota:¹⁴ High school students who smoke: 3.2% (9,300) Additional kids (under 18) who become new regular, daily smokers each year: 1500 Adults in Minnesota who smoke: 13.8% (598,500) Adults who die each year in Minnesota from their own smoking: 5900 Kids alive in Minnesota today who will ultimately die from smoking: (given current smoking levels): 102,000 Annual health care expenditures in Minnesota directly caused by tobacco use: $$2.51 billion The FDA has proposed that this rule would take effect one year after the final rule is issued. Given the number of lives that the rule would save, the Association for Nonsmokers-Minnesota strongly urges the FDA to act more quickly to get the final regulation in place. In the proposed rule, it is apparent that the FDA is considering exempting heated cigarette products like iQOS or so-called Very Low Nicotine (VLN) cigarettes from this rule. Given the potential harm of these products, it is critical that they not be exempted from the proposed standard. Finally, the proposed rule indicated that the FDA is considering establishing a process by which a manufacturer could request an exemption from the standard for a particular product on a case-by-case basis. The Association for Nonsmokers-Minnesota strongly discourages any exemptions to ensure the strongest possible public health benefit from the final rule. Respectfully, Jeanne Weigum ,Director Association for Nonsmokers-Minnesota Download PDF with citations

Saint Paul’s new commercial tobacco ordinance prohibits the redemption of coupons that make products like this accessible to youth by keeping prices low. SAINT PAUL (6/13/2022) – Cents-off coupons and tobacco specials are a thing of the past under Saint Paul’s recently implemented commercial tobacco ordinance. An April survey found that all of Saint Paul’s tobacco retailers are complying with that part of the ordinance which went into effect on December 11, 2021. The ordinance has multiple provisions including a prohibition on the redemption of coupons and price promotions for all commercial tobacco and vaping products and a $10 minimum price for cigarettes and smokeless tobacco. Saint Paul’s ordinance is considered to be the most comprehensive in the nation in terms of reducing access to commercial tobacco products. The new ordinance aims to make commercial tobacco products less accessible to young people by keeping prices high. It also protects communities that have been historically targeted by tobacco industry marketing such as youth, Black, Indigenous, Asian, Latino, and LGBTQ communities. According to the Association for Nonsmokers – Minnesota (ANSR), the ordinance is exceeding expectations. ANSR recently collaborated with community partners to assess retailer compliance and found 100% compliance with the coupon provision of the ordinance. Among the 146 tobacco retailers that were included in the assessment, only two were found in violation of the minimum price provision.  “This ordinance is the first in the country to stop price promotions and price discounts on chew, cigarettes and vape products.  The tobacco industry uses price promotions to tempt consumers and it undermines people’s efforts to quit.  They spend more money temporarily reducing the price of tobacco than on any other type of advertising or promotion, $7.7 billion in 2016, nearly $900,000 every hour,” said Jeanne Weigum, ANSR President.  ANSR attributes the high compliance rates, in part, to tobacco retailer education. Early in 2022, ANSR worked with the City of Saint Paul’s Department of Safety and Inspections to provide notification letters, signs, and an educational guide to all tobacco retailers to ensure they were aware of the provisions of the new ordinance. “I’m proud that St. Paul has successfully implemented one of the strongest tobacco ordinances in the country. A lot of work and collaboration with partners went on behind the scenes to ensure that this ordinance does its job: to protect communities that have been historically targeted by the tobacco industry and reduce health disparities for years to come. Our vendors are doing a good job complying and we appreciate it,” said Council President Amy Brendmoen.  Public health advocates hope that other Minnesota cities will follow Saint Paul’s lead to adopt strong tobacco ordinances. Most recently, the Little Canada City Council voted unanimously on May 25, 2022 to end indoor sampling at tobacco shops and to cap tobacco licenses at zero meaning no new tobacco licenses will be issued in the city; however, current tobacco retailers can retain their licenses. Other Minnesota cities, including Saint Paul, have caps on tobacco licenses; however, Bloomington and Little Canada are the only cities with a cap at zero.

In partnership with the Association for Nonsmokers-Minnesota (ANSR), three UMN undergraduate students working toward a minor degree in Leadership created and disseminated a survey about vaping trends and patterns on campus. These students promoted the survey through their own social media accounts on Instagram and Snapchat. As a convenience sample it is a snapshot that can provide insight to the trends and patterns of the students who participated in this survey. They developed a confidential online survey and promoted it through their friends and social media and were able to collect over 330 responses. Key Findings #tobacco #minnesota #vaping #survey #umn #college

By Meghan McFarling Most people could probably assume that commercial tobacco products like cigarettes harm our environment. Cigarettes are commonly found littered on our streets, and the toxic chemicals and tobacco found in these products are seen leaking into our soil and waterways. Therefore, one might think e-cigarettes, or “vapes,” may be better for our environment than cigarettes or other tobacco products. Those who vape may use one disposable vape per day, while those who smoke cigarettes may smoke a pack or two per day. If both of these products were littered, on the surface, it would look like the disposable vape would look like it would cause a lot less harm than a few dozen cigarettes. However, experts believe that this might not be the case; vapes may cause more damage than cigarettes.1 While we don’t know exactly how much more harmful they can be, the extraction of natural resources and the pollution during the manufacturing process, as well as the improper disposal of most vapes, can lead to a much dire environmental impact than we may realize. The Environmental Impact of the Creation of Vapes Mining While many environmental sources don’t specifically state this when discussing the environmental impacts of vapes, it’s important to note that nearly all vapes contain lithium.2 Lithium is a naturally-occurring metal used in most batteries, including vape batteries.3 In order to gather lithium, it needs to be mined from brine or hard rock, and doing so can lead to soil degradation, water shortages, and overall damage to our ecosystem.4 Not only is lithium mining highly harmful to the environment and is often done on tribal land in the United States. For example, in Nevada, a new lithium mining project was created in 2021 on a sacred indigenous burial site.5 If lithium for batteries is mined in other countries, there are often fewer environmental regulations, so environmental destruction and unethical labor practices are much more common.6 While batteries are necessary for everyday life in the 21st century, we often don’t know where our batteries come from or how they were produced, especially when it comes to the batteries in vapes. Since most vape companies do not disclose this information to consumers, it’s difficult to determine how much of a negative environmental impact these batteries and vapes are making. Deforestation Like most other tobacco products, most vape products get nicotine from tobacco plants. In order to obtain the nicotine from these plants, deforestation occurs so that more tobacco plants can be grown, harvested, cured, and manufactured. In 2015, it was estimated by the World Health Organization that 600 million trees are cut down every year by the tobacco industry.7 This incredible amount of deforestation has led to tremendous loss of natural habitats and food sources for wildlife, which in turn leads to the extinction of various animal species and desertification.8 Deforestation also leads to an increased amount of greenhouse gas emissions. Greenhouse gasses trap heat in our atmosphere, resulting in global warming and climate change.9 Greenhouse gasses also contribute to air pollution and poor air quality10 because when trees are burned to be removed from the land, the carbon stored in the trees turns into carbon dioxide- a greenhouse gas- and releases into the atmosphere.11 It’s estimated that around 10% of greenhouse gas emissions result from deforestation.12 Since most vaping products containing nicotine contain nicotine derived from tobacco plants, these products are contributing to reoccurring deforestation. That being said, some vape industries claim their vapes contain synthetic nicotine- nicotine created in a lab rather than obtained from tobacco leaves- and are better for the environment. However, this is far from the truth. Synthetic nicotine is still nicotine, and all types of nicotine are considered hazardous waste as nicotine damages the environment when disposed of improperly. Manufacturing Processes While deforestation contributes to an increase in greenhouse gasses, the manufacturing process of tobacco products can also contribute to a rise in greenhouse gasses. Factories, in general, harm the environment with pollutant emissions,13 and the tobacco industry is not taking the initiative to make the manufacturing process eco-friendly. While it’s known that the tobacco industry pollutes the air, uses and pollutes large amounts of water, and uses toxic chemicals in their manufacturing process for cigarettes, little is known about how the manufacturing process of vapes impacts the environment. The fact that we don’t know how bad the manufacturing process of vapes is for our environment is concerning because if we don’t know what the problems are and how significant they are, we cannot adequately address them and resolve them. However, we can assume that the immense amounts of natural resources used in the production of vapes and the toxic chemicals used to create them pose significant threats to our climate and environment. The Environmental Impact of the Disposal of Vapes Hazardous Waste The Environmental Protection Agency (the EPA) considers liquid nicotine “acute hazardous waste . ”14 This means products containing liquid nicotine cannot be thrown away into the regular trash or recycled without harming the environment and people.15 Vapes are considered hazardous waste for two key reasons: nicotine and battery content.14 Nicotine toxic to humans if consumed or absorbed through the skin or lungs, but it can also poison wildlife and pollute our soil and water.16 Batteries in vapes- and in general- are hazardous waste if not disposed of properly.1 When batteries are littered or improperly disposed of, the batteries corrode and the battery’s metals and chemicals- like lithium- leak into the ground and pollute our soil and water.17 Batteries that are improperly disposed can also cause fires in garbage and recycling trucks and landfills, which can harm people, animals, and our land.17 On top of the fact that batteries can pollute our environment when improperly disposed of, not recycling batteries is a massive waste of lithium and other materials that could be reused. When batteries aren’t recycled, more lithium mining and other forms of mining need to occur to compensate for the materials that have been lost. Non-Compostable Materials While nicotine, batteries, and vapes are technically “hazardous” waste, this doesn’t mean that the other components in vapes aren’t harmful to the environment. Most vapes contain metals, which can take many years to decompose.18 Vapes also have plastic, and plastic never fully decomposes. Rather than decomposing, plastic turns into “microplastics,” or tiny pieces of plastic, which continue to pollute the environment and pollute our food and drinking water.19 Greenwashing Despite everything we know about the harm that tobacco products like vapes cause for our environment, the tobacco industry- which is directly connected to the vaping industry- applies a marketing strategy called “greenwashing” to encourage consumers to use their products and to continue to use their products. They know that being eco-friendly is trendy nowadays, and they’ll do everything they can to convince consumers that their effects aren’t harmful or damaging to the Earth. For example, on Phillip Morris’s website, one of the major tobacco companies a part of Big Tobacco, claims that they have a 2025 climate roadmap, where they state that they want to do things like creating plans for reducing post-consumer waste, become carbon neutral, and promote biodiversity by the year 2025.20 They also state that they want to “purposefully phase out cigarettes” so that they can promote the sale of smoke-free products, AKA vapes.20 Despite all of these claims, however, Big Tobacco has refused to take responsibility for the immense environmental impact that its products have caused. It’s evident that Big Tobacco doesn’t care about the environment when we look at the fact that they are promoting the use of vape products; products that are likely worse for the environment than cigarettes.1 Even the World Health Organization has called out Big Tobacco for greenwashing and called for laws against it.21 Big tobacco has lied to the world for years about many things: they’ve claimed that tobacco products are not harmful to health, they’ve claimed that they never intentionally marketed their deadly products to youth and minority groups, and they’ve broken civil racketeering laws.22 That being said, we cannot fall victim to Big Tobacco’s lies about their “environmentally-friendly” industry. Concluding Thoughts Vapes harm not only the consumer’s health but also have a detrimental impact on our planet, and few people seem to be aware of this. By raising awareness on this topic, it’s possible that we can prevent environmentally-conscious people from starting to vape, which could have a positive impact on people and our Earth. However, it’s more important that we raise awareness so that we can take collective action and hold Big Tobacco accountable for detrimentally harming our planet. Those who use vapes are not responsible for the harm vapes are causing our world- Big Tobacco is. Their continuous use of harmful manufacturing methods, natural resources, toxic chemicals, and non-compostable materials shows that they only care about the money, not the people’s health or our world. To prevent further climate change and pollution, we must take down Big Tobacco. About the Author Meghan McFarling (she/her) is an Association for Nonsmokers-MN intern and former Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids Youth Ambassador. Meghan’s experience includes involvement with passing flavored tobacco restrictions and increasing the tobacco sale age to 21 in Shoreview and at the Minnesota legislature. Meghan didn’t only testify at all these places, she community organized, met with decision makers and followed through in assisting with enforcement and compliance after laws were changed at the local and state level. She is a recent graduate from the University of Wisconsin – La Crosse with a degree in political science, and is currently attending the University of Minnesota to pursue an MPH degree. In her free time you will find Meghan training at the gym, listening to podcasts, or advocating for social and environmental justice. References (1) A toxic, plastic problem: E-cigarette waste and the environment . (2021, March 1). Truth Initiative. https://truthinitiative.org/research-resources/harmful-effects-tobacco/toxic-plastic-problem-e-cigarette-waste-and-environment (2) Morris, Manning & Martin LLP. (2018). The Role of the Lithium-Ion Battery in E-Cig Malfunction Cases . https://www.mmmlaw.com/media/the-role-of-the-lithium-ion-battery-in-e-cig-malfunction-cases/ (3) Pappas, S. (2018, October 23). What Is Lithium? Livescience.Com. https://www.livescience.com/28579-lithium.html (4) Campbell, M. (2022, August 15). In pictures: South America’s “lithium fields” reveal the dark side of our electric future . Euronews. https://www.euronews.com/green/2022/02/01/south-america-s-lithium-fields-reveal-the-dark-side-of-our-electric-future#:%7E:text=Why%20is%20lithium%20extraction%20bad,an%20increase%20in%20global%20warming (5) Nairn, C. (2022, February 28). At a Native massacre site, tribes brace for a new, lithium-driven rush . Mongabay Environmental News. https://news.mongabay.com/2022/02/at-a-native-massacre-site-tribes-brace-for-a-new-lithium-driven-rush/ (6) Frankel, T. C. (2016). This is where your smartphone battery begins . Washington Post. https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/business/batteries/congo-cobalt-mining-for-lithium-ion-battery/ (7) Frost, R. (2022, May 31). Big tobacco is having a ‘devastating’ impact on the environment, WHO report reveals . Euronews. https://www.euronews.com/green/2022/05/31/big-tobacco-is-having-a-devastating-impact-on-the-environment-who-report-reveals (8) Stand For Trees (2022, July 24). Death in the Forest: Deforestation Effects on Animals and What You Can Do . Stand For Trees. https://standfortrees.org/blog/deforestation-effects-on-animals/#:%7E:text=It%20causes%20habitat%20destruction%2C%20increased,the%20main%20causes%20of%20extinction (9) Overview of Greenhouse Gases . (2022, May 16). US EPA. https://www.epa.gov/ghgemissions/overview-greenhouse-gases (10) Nunez, C. (2022, May 9). Carbon dioxide levels are at a record high. Here’s what you need to know. Environment. https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/article/greenhouse-gases#:%7E:text=Greenhouse%20gases%20have%20far%2Dranging,change%20caused%20by%20greenhouse%20gases (11) Bache, T. (2021, January 14). What is the role of deforestation in climate change and how can “Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation” (REDD+) help? Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment. https://www.lse.ac.uk/granthaminstitute/explainers/whats-redd-and-will-it-help-tackle-climate-change/ (12) Dean, A. (2021, February 10). Deforestation and Climate Change . Climate Council. https://www.climatecouncil.org.au/deforestation/ (13) Facelle, A. K. (2017, March 13). The Impact of Industry on the Environment – What could possibly Trump this Global Warming epidemic? Penn State. https://sites.psu.edu/kbf3civicissues/2017/03/13/the-impact-of-industry-on-the-environment-2/ (14) Center for Tobacco Products. (2020, September 23). Tips for Safe Disposal of E-Cigarettes and E-Liquid Waste . U.S. Food and Drug Administration. https://www.fda.gov/tobacco-products/products-ingredients-components/tips-safe-disposal-e-cigarettes-and-e-liquid-waste#:%7E:text=Nicotine%20Is%20an%20Acute%20Hazardous%20Waste&text=Discarded%20or%20neglected%20vaping%20products,%2C%20including%20unused%20e%2Dliquid.&text=Improper%20storage%20and%20disposal%20of,exposure%20and%20accidental%20nicotine%20poisoning. (15) Learn the Basics of Hazardous Waste . (2022, July 6). US EPA. https://www.epa.gov/hw/learn-basics-hazardous-waste (16) Center for Disease Control. (n.d.). Nicotine: Systemic Agent | NIOSH | CDC . https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/ershdb/emergencyresponsecard_29750028.html#:%7E:text=DESCRIPTION%3A%20Nicotine%20is%20a%20naturally,processing%20and%20extraction%20of%20tobacco. (17) McElwee, H. (2020, January 20). Battery Recycling is Important for Environmental Health . Gallegos Sanitation / Republic Services. https://gsiwaste.com/battery-recycling-is-important-for-environmental-health/#:%7E:text=As%20batteries%20corrode%2C%20their%20chemicals,when%20filled%20with%20battery%20chemicals (18) Freeman, M. (2019, December 6). What Things Will Not Decompose? Sciencing. https://sciencing.com/what-things-will-not-decompose-13373492.html (19) Carrington, D. (2021, December 8). Microplastics cause damage to human cells, study shows . The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/dec/08/microplastics-damage-human-cells-study-plastic#:%7E:text=Microplastics%20cause%20damage%20to%20human%20cells%20in%20the%20laboratory%20at,levels%20relevant%20to%20human%20exposure (20) Philip Morris International. (2022, May 17). Our 2025 Roadmap . https://www.pmi.com/sustainability/our-2025-roadmap (21) World Health Organization, & Organization, W. H. (2022). Tobacco: Poisoning Our Planet . World Health Organization. (22) Big Tobacco Found Guilty of Lying | Tobacco Stops With Me | OK TSET . (2021, November 18). Tobacco Stops With Me. https://stopswithme.com/exposing-big-tobacco/big-tobacco-found-guilty/#:%7E:text=Big%20Tobacco%20Guilty%20of%20Lying,about%20the%20dangers%20of%20smoking

By Anna Grace Hottinger Whether you are at the playground, outside of the store, on the side of a trail, or in our lakes and waterways, there will likely be a cigarette butt. Rarely does a day go by without spotting one, or many. Beyond their unappealing look, they are dangerous to the health and safety of everyone who shares this world. It’s been apparent for a long time that the waste created by tobacco products is not good for the environment. And unfortunately, the industry has always been well aware of the damage that tobacco waste can do to the environment. The tobacco industry started citing its awareness of cigarette butt litter in 1979. In an internal industry document uncovered in the 1998 Master Settlement Agreement, they stated that they needed to “…establish a policy related to ‘litter’. Without one we run the risk of drifting into another controversy, which is already active on the Federal and State levels.”1 As the document continues, it states that “Litter is a highly visible but relatively unimportant part of the solid waste issue.” The document continues to state that litter is a “high annoyance” issue and ignoring it would be a bad move in part of getting potential customers, but addressing it would also be opposing who they are. In all, they are trying to divert the issue of litter for company clout. This is only the beginning of the tobacco industry ignoring the detrimental effects of their products. Stating that litter is an annoyance issue and relatively unimportant was the first sign that while they were aware of the potential damage, they wanted to dull it down for possible buyers. Moving onto the 1990’s, R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company (RJR) kicked off a “Beach Anti-Litter” program.2 The goal of the program was to raise awareness for proper litter disposal and proper disposal of cigarettes. While the initiative seemed good at first glance, when asked if RJR was admitting to their products having environmental harm, they responded with “No. Cigarette butts are not harmful to the environment, but all litter, including cigarette butts, needs to be disposed of properly. The materials contained in a cigarette filter are degradable”. This is false, as cigarette filters are made of cellulose acetate (plastic fibers) which can take up to ten years to decompose and turn into microplastics.3 These are just a few of the examples of the tobacco industry’s awareness of the damage that they are doing to the environment and their efforts to keep this information hidden from the general public. To this day, the tobacco industry continues to keep important information from consumers. New, electronic products like vapes and e-cigarettes are detrimental to the environment because of the heavy metals, nicotine salts, plastic, and more that leak into soil, waterways, and the environment. One of the worst parts about these newer products is that the tobacco industry left consumers with no guidance as to how to dispose of these products. Nicotine is classified as a hazardous waste and the batteries in e-cigarettes can be flammable and dangerous. To put it in perspective, when you buy a computer, which is hazardous waste, the company tells you how to properly dispose of them. Few if any e-cigarette companies include disposal instructions on their packaging. In summary, the tobacco industry has been well aware of the damage it is doing to the environment but has failed to take proper measures to mitigate the damage. Rather, they have told consumers not to worry and put money into campaigns to mitigate litter or environmental damage as a whole, instead of taking accountability for the damage they cause to the environment. Cigarettes make up approximately one-third of all collected litter.4 While reactive work like starting clean-up campaigns and funding litter clean-up organizations can help, the tobacco industry has taken the easy way out. They need to be held accountable for the harm they have caused to the environment. There are a few simple policy initiatives that can be taken to hold the industry accountable. These include sales restrictions, comprehensive smoking restrictions, hazardous waste or materials laws, and educational campaigns. All of these policy solutions aim to address the source of the problem of tobacco use, which in the long-term, is harmful to the environment. About the Author Anna Grace Hottinger (she/ her) is the Youth Advocacy and Community Outreach Intern at the Association for Nonsmokers-Minnesota, also a Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids Youth Ambassador. A majority of her work has been around youth education, peer-to-peer research, and political engagement. She is a sophomore at the University of New Mexico studying Community Health Education. Aside from tobacco prevention organizing, Anna Grace is also engaged in policy research and organizing around climate justice and education policy. In her free time you can find her advocating around climate change, walking her dog, reading or running 16 miles in the mountains for fun! References: (1) Litter: A Proposal for TI Policy. University of California San Francisco Industry documents library. https://www.industrydocuments.ucsf.edu/docs/#id=yzdk0016. Accessed September 1, 2022. (2) Beach Anti-Litter Program. Expansion of Daytona Beach Program. University of California San Francisco Industry documents library. https://www.industrydocuments.ucsf.edu/tobacco/docs/#id=lxfb0082. Accessed September 1, 2022. (3) Novotny TE, Slaughter E. Tobacco product waste: An environmental approach to reduce tobacco consumption. Current Environmental Health Reports . 2014;1(3):208-216. doi:10.1007/s40572-014-0016-x (4) 5 ways cigarette litter impacts the environment. Truth Initiative. https://truthinitiative.org/research-resources/harmful-effects-tobacco/5-ways-cigarette-litter-impacts-environment. Accessed September 1, 2022.