Minnesota adult smoking ranking drops from 7th best to 11th

 

Rachel wanted me to share MN Department of Health's news release on adult smoking in Minnesota.

A new Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) report released Friday shows Minnesota as ranking 11th best among all states for adult smoking. The last time the CDC compared states in 2009, Minnesota was in the top ten with a rank of 7th lowest or best.

"This report shows that far too many Minnesotans are still using tobacco products, 11th isn't good enough for Minnesota," said Commissioner of Health Dr. Edward Ehlinger. "The cost of tobacco in terms of lives and about $2.87 billion in annual medical costs is too high. We must reduce this toll on our families and our state and one of the most effective ways to curb youth smoking is to raise the price."

In order to decrease cigarette use, Governor Mark Dayton has proposed a 94 cents-a-pack tax increase, which would bring Minnesota's cigarette tax on a par with Wisconsin. Currently, Minnesota's cigarette excise tax ranks 28th among the states..Read the rest of the news release.

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