Minnesota's Investment in Tobacco Control: Research Findings to Inform Practice and Policy

• Published in: American journal of preventive medicine 2012-11, Vol.43 (5), p.S153-S155
• Main Authors: Boyle, Raymond G., D'Silva, Joanne, Whittet, Megan N., St. Claire, Ann W., Lee, Jeong Kyu
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Air Pollution, Indoor - legislation & jurisprudence; Air Pollution, Indoor - prevention & control; Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association; Cessation; Corporations, Nonprofit; Freedom; Funds; Health Policy; Humans; Investments; Law; Leadership; Liberty; Medicine; Minnesota; Passive smoking; Population; Regulation; Restaurants; Settlements; Smoking; Smoking - legislation & jurisprudence; Smoking Prevention; Tobacco Smoke Pollution - legislation & jurisprudence; Tobacco Smoke Pollution - prevention & control; Trade associations; Workplaces
• ISSN: 0749-3797; 1873-2607
• DOI: 10.1016/j.amepre.2012.08.007

Minnesota has a long history of leadership in tobacco control, dating back to a 1975 Clean Indoor Air law limiting smoking indoors. In 1998, a settlement was reached to a lawsuit the state and Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota had brought against cigarette manufacturers and related trade associations accusing them of failing to disclose information about the dangers and addictive qualities of cigarettes. As part of the settlement, the nonprofit organization ClearWay MinnesotaSM was created to reduce tobacco use and exposure to secondhand smoke through research, action, and collaboration. In 2001, a statewide educational media campaign and quitline were implemented. By the end of 2006, most major population centers in Minnesota had some form of a smokefree ordinance in place. Local policy efforts culminated in 2007 with the passage of a comprehensive statewide law, the Freedom to Breathe Act, which banned smoking in all indoor workplaces, including restaurants and bars. Now, 5 years after the passage of Freedom to Breathe, there is an opportunity to examine the impact of tobacco control policies and to chart future tobacco control efforts. As one of the few states that funds tobacco control research, Minnesota is powerfully positioned to seize this opportunity. ClearWay Minnesota's competitive grant program supports applied research that can be translated into effective treatment and policy interventions. This supplement highlights recent ClearWay Minnesota-funded research findings describing topics as broad as the impact of indoor-air policies, secondhand smoke exposure, tobacco control efforts in priority populations, and the regulation of tobacco products. In this foreword, we will highlight some of the key findings in this supplement to the American Journal of Preventive Medicine. [Copyright American Journal of Preventive Medicine; published by Elsevier Inc.]