US: Minnesota Cigarette Smoking Rate Falls to New Low

Source from:  KTTC TV (Austin, MN) 01/27/2015

For years, many different organizations have educated Americans on the dangers of smoking. This week the Minnesota Department of Health released new statistics confirming that smoking is falling out of favor.

According to the latest study on tobacco use, the adult smoking rate in Minnesota has declined to 14.4 percent, a 28 percent decrease since 1999. A number of factors led to the drop in smokers, including the soaring price of cigarettes and new laws that make it more difficult to smoke.

It's a welcome bit of news to those at the Dodge Refreshed Healthy Living Expo in Dodge Center including the Four Corners Partnership, which advocates against smoking in Dodge, Steele, Rice, and Goodhue counties.

"Overall, it's very good that we're making progress towards getting information out there that cigarettes are bad for you," said Alicia Schumacher of the Four Corners Partnership.

While the cigarette smoking rate is way down, another trend has organizations like the Four Corners Partnership on high alert.

"With the smoking rate low, we have found that e-cigarette rates have gone up, so that's also a new challenge that we face," said Schumacher.

Another MDH study states e-cigarettes are used by 5.9 percent of Minnesotans every 30 days, a nearly 600 percent increase from 2010. Whether it is e-cigs or their tarnished tobacco counterpart, Four Corners Partnership feels their fight to end smoking is worthwhile.

"It's a good cause that we're working towards. It protects those of us that don't smoke from secondhand smoke because there's so many problems associated with that," said Schumacher. Enditem