6.a Letters of support tobacco 21
American Heart Association I 2750 Blue Water Road I Suite 250 I Eagan I Minnesota I 55121
October 7, 2019
Dear Mayor Maefsky and Scandia City Council Members:
I am writing on behalf of the American Heart Association to express our support for the
proposed ordinance that would raise the minimum sales age for tobacco products from 18 to 21
in Scandia.
The National Academy of Medicine reports that there would be a 25 percent reduction in
smoking initiation among 15-to-17-year-olds if the age to purchase tobacco was raised to 21.
Preventing youth from starting to smoke is essential to reducing smoking prevalence,
considering that almost 95 percent of addicted adult smokers started before age 21. Increasing
the age gap between kids and those who can legally buy tobacco will help remove access to
tobacco products from the high-school environment and stop the start.
Over 45 communities in Minnesota have also raised the minimum sale age for tobacco from 18
to 21 and many cities statewide are considering adopting this policy. We need to continue to do
everything we can to protect the health of our young people.
Scandia has the opportunity to help prevent another generation from becoming lifelong tobacco
users. Thank you for your consideration.
Sincerely,
Jess Nolan
Community Advocacy Director
952-278-7928
Jess.Nolan@heart.org
American Heart Association I 2750 Blue Water Road, Ste. 250 I Eagan I MN I 55121
HealthPartners
8170 33rd Avenue South
Bloomington, MN 55425
healthpartners.com
Mailing Address:
PO Box 1309
Minneapolis, MN 55440-1309
October 7, 2019
Scandia City Hall
14727 209th St. N.
Scandia, MN 55073
Dear Mayor Maefsky and Scandia City Council Members:
On behalf of the 26,000 employees at HealthPartners, we want to express our strong support for the proposed city
ordinance that will raise the age for sales of tobacco products to 21. It is HealthPartners’ mission to improve
health and well-being in partnership with our members, patients and the community.
Nearly every adult smoker (approximately 95%) started before they were 21. For years tobacco use has been the
number one preventable cause of death in our country and our state. Smoking costs the state more than $3 billion
annually in excess health care costs and each year more than 6,000 Minnesotans die from tobacco-related
diseases. As you may know, teen tobacco use in Minnesota has also risen rapidly, primarily due to a sharp increase
in e-cigarette use. The FDA recently called youth e-cigarette use an epidemic, and in a recent editorial, said “We
cannot let e-cigarettes become an on-ramp to teenage addiction.” We echo those concerns and implore you to
include e-cigarettes in any proposal considered by the city.
18-21 is a critical time when young people move from intermittent smoking to daily use. In addition to the
countless long-term negative health effects of tobacco, nicotine itself is known to be particularly harmful to the
development of the adolescent brain. Research suggests that nicotine interferes with brain maturation and can
have long term effects on development and mental health. A recent report from the Institute of Medicine found
that increasing the tobacco sales age to 21 would also mean that smoking initiation among 15-17-year-olds would
be reduced by 25 percent.
Thank you for you for helping lead our state on these issues, and taking a positive step towards keeping tobacco
out of the hands of our children.
Sincerely,
Dr. Thomas Kottke, M.D.
HealthPartners Medical Director, Well-being
1406 Sixth Ave. North
St. Cloud, MN 56303
FeelingGoodMN.org
October 8, 2019
Scandia City Council
14727 209th St. N.
Scandia, MN 55073
Dear Scandia City Council Members:
On behalf of Feeling Good MN, a collaborative initiative of CentraCare Health focused on improving
health and wellness in Central Minnesota, I write to applaud the Scandia City Council on its efforts to
prevent youth tobacco use and express our support for the tobacco ordinance being considered. Raising
the tobacco sales age to 21, while restricting flavored tobacco products and the availability of cheap
cigars, will go a long way to reducing youth access and addiction. If we can stop youth from starting, then
we can save lives and lower healthcare costs.
We know kids often turn to older friends and classmates as a source of all tobacco products, and they are
more susceptible to the addictive effects of nicotine because their brains are still developing. We also
know that nearly all addicted adult smokers, an estimated 95%, started smoking by the age of 21. Raising
the minimum legal sale age for tobacco products would delay initiation rates of tobacco use by
adolescents and lower prevalence in the overall population.
The federal government banned fruit and candy flavors from cigarettes but left it to local government to
address the problem with all other flavored tobacco products like e-cigarettes and cheap cigars.
Increasing the age gap between young people and those who can legally buy tobacco will reduce youth
access to tobacco, remove these products from our high schools and ensure Golden Valley youth don’t
suffer from a lifetime of tobacco addiction.
Your consideration of a T21 and flavoring policy shows a strong commitment to fostering a healthier
future for Minnesota’s youth. We look forward to Scandia City Council joining the stand against Big
Tobacco. Your leadership will help pave the way for other communities to act and bring us one step
closer to achieving a Minnesota where all people are free from the harms of tobacco.
Sincerely,
Jodi Gertken
Director, Community Wellness
Association for Nonsmokers-Minnesota | www.ansrmn.org | 651.646.3005
October 8, 2019
Scandia City Councilmembers
City Hall
14727 209th St. N.
Scandia, MN 55073
Dear Mayor Maefsky and Councilmembers:
The Association for Nonsmokers-Minnesota (ANSR) strongly supports your efforts to increase
the tobacco sales age to 21 in Scandia. Our organization has a long history of restricting youth
access to tobacco by supporting policies like the one you are currently considering.
For decades, the tobacco industry has targeted children and teens. Tobacco executives admitted
to these intentions in countless emails and industry documents throughout the late 20th century.
Now, the industry is craftier, but their intentions are still clear. E-cigarettes are marketed and
sold in ways that are appealing to teens through social media and the internet. In 2017, for the
first time in decades, youth tobacco use rose due to the influence of these devices. E-cigarettes
are infiltrating high schools, and the FDA has called youth e-cigarette use an epidemic.
Increasing the tobacco sales age to 21 in Scandia is an important step towards decreasing access
to these harmful products among teens.
Tobacco use remains the leading preventable cause of death in Minnesota, and most smokers
become addicted before they turn 21. Raising the tobacco sales age to 21 will limit access to
tobacco products by 18-20 year olds and help cut off access to these products for younger teens.
Scandia will set a positive example for other communities looking to improve the lives of their
youth. ANSR supports your efforts. Thank you for prioritizing the wellness of your community
above the interests of the tobacco industry.
Sincerely,
Jeanne Weigum
President- Association for Nonsmokers-Minnesota
1406 Sixth Avenue North | St. Cloud, MN 56303-1901
(320) 251-2700 phone | (320) 255-5711 fax
www.centracare.com
October 10, 2019
To the Scandia City Council:
CentraCare is a not-for-profit health care system that provides comprehensive, high -quality care to people throughout
Central Minnesota. Our mission is not only to improve the health of our patients, but also the community at large. Our
day-to-day work in our health care settings and in the community has given us a deep and intimate understanding of
individual and community health.
Our experience has shown us time and again the number one disruptor of individual and community health is tobacco.
Consider these facts:
• Tobacco is the number one killer of Minnesotans. Approximately 6,300 Minnesotans die every year due to
smoking.
• 102,100 Minnesota youth are projected to die from smoking.
• More Minnesotans will die from tobacco use than alcohol, homicides, car accidents, AIDS, illegal drugs, and
suicide combined.
• 580,000 Minnesotans, 14.4 percent of the state’s population, still smoke.
• Smoking causes over $3.2 billion in medical costs annually in Minnesota.
As grim as these statistics are, there is hope. Part of that hope lies with the ordinance before you to raise the age to
legally purchase tobacco and nicotine products to 21. Increasing the tobacco sales age to 21 makes it more difficult for
youth to get tobacco from social sources, their primary source for tob acco and nicotine. Surveys have found 75% of
smokers ages 15-17 get tobacco from social sources. High school students are less likely to be around a 21 -year-old
than an 18-year-old.
The more difficult it is for youth to access tobacco products, the less likely they are to use those products and end up as
one of the more than 100,000 who will die from a tobacco-related disease. The tobacco industry is well aware of this
fact which is why they oppose this and why as far back as 30 years ago Philip Morris not ed in an internal report that
raising the “the legal minimum age for cigarette purchaser to 21 could cut our key young adult market (17-20) where
we sell about 25 billion cigarettes and enjoy a 70 percent market share.”
While Minnesota has made many positive strides toward reducing tobacco use and exposure, no one should pat
themselves on the back. The most recent Minnesota student survey showed that while cigarette use has generally
declined among youth, there is a dramatic and deeply troubling increase in the number of students using e-cigarettes
with 11th and 9th graders now using e-cigarettes at twice the rate of conventional cigarettes. This product is highly
addictive and its significant negative health impacts are just becoming known. It is the tobacc o industry’s new and
highly marketed device designed to regain their foothold in the youth tobacco market.
Again, the ordinance before you offer hope. Hope for the future of our community’s youth and hope for the health of
our community and the individuals who live here. Passing the Tobacco 21 ordinance as it is currently written will go
down as one of the most important and significant actions you will take when it comes to protecting community
health.
Thank you for your time and consideration. If you have questions or if I can ever be of assistance, please don’t hesitate
to contact me at any time.
Kenneth Holmen, MD
President/CEO CentraCare
5901 Lincoln Drive | Edina, MN 55436 | 952.992.5734 | childrensMN.org
SENT VIA E-MAIL
October 15, 2019
Dear Mayor Christine Maefsky and Scandia City Council Members (Chris Ness, Steve Kronmiller, Patti
Ray, Jerry Cusick):
On behalf of Children’s Minnesota, I am writing to urge you to adopt the proposed Tobacco 21
ordinance that raises the legal minimum age for sale of all tobacco and nicotine products to age 21.
Children’s Minnesota is the state’s largest pediatric provider of health care. Last year, we saw over
135,000 patients; 66 of those patients were from Scandia. Children’s Minnesota is also one of the state’s
largest Medicaid providers with approximately forty-four percent of our patient population reported as
Medicaid eligible in 2018. The community of patients treated at Children’s is incredibly diverse and we
are acutely aware of the health inequities and disparities that exist within our community and between
our kids. A recent report from the Centers for Disease Control highlights the racial and ethnic
disparities in the use of tobacco products among middle and high school students and notes that, often,
specific racial and ethnic groups are targeted by the tobacco industry’s advertising efforts. This makes
comprehensive tobacco policies even more necessary as w e work to address these disparities and
promote health equity for all youth and teens living in our state.
In the United States more than ninety-five percent of smokers start smoking before they turn 21.
Research has shown that the developing teenage brain is particularly vulnerable to the addictive effects
of nicotine. The rate of high school smoking in Minnesota is higher than the national average with
2,500 children becoming daily smokers each year. Current data estimates that 102,000 children living
in our state will die prematurely due to smoking.
Tobacco 21 laws work to disrupt the social availability of nicotine products to young people. Currently,
more than forty percent of the nation’s population is covered by a Tobacco 21 policy and tobacco use
among teens has decreased in locations where the policies have been adopted. If we are serious about
creating a healthier future for our children, passing and enforcing policies that prevent teens from
engaging in habitual smoking is one incremental step.
Children’s Minnesota applauds efforts being made in cities and counties across the state to adopt
Tobacco 21 policies. We hope to see the City of Scandia join the others that have chosen to take this step
to reduce teen smoking in our communities.
Sincerely,
Kelly Wolfe
Director, Public Affairs and Advocacy
Children’s Minnesota
October 15, 2019
City of Scandia
City Hall
14727 209th St. N.
Scandia, MN 55073
Dear Mayor Maefsky and Members of the Scandia City Council:
I am pleased to provide this letter of support on behalf of the Minnesota Medical Association
(MMA) for efforts by the City of Scandia to raise the minimum legal sale age for tobacco
products to 21. The MMA is deeply appreciative of your leadership and efforts to protect the
health of the youth in your community.
The MMA represents more than 10,000 physicians, medical residents, and medical students
throughout Minnesota. In our efforts to help make Minnesotans the healthiest in the nation,
preventing death and disease caused by tobacco and secondhand smoke has long been an
MMA goal. The MMA proudly and actively supported passage of the Freedom to Breathe Act in
2007, and strongly supports restricting the sale of tobacco products to individuals under the
age of 21.
As of September 18, 2019, eighteen states (Arkansas, California, Connecticut, Delaware,
Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Texas,
Utah, Vermont, Virginia and Washington) and over 500 localities in 25 states, the District of
Columbia and the U.S. territory of Guam, have raised the minimum legal sale age for tobacco
products to 211. Benton County, Beltrami County, Hennepin County, Isanti County, Olmsted
County, Otter Tail County, Pope County, Stevens County, Wilkin County, Wright County, and
the cities of Albert Lea, Arden Hills, Austin, Bemidji, Bloomington, Byron, Brooklyn Center,
Duluth, Eden Prairie, Edina, Excelsior, Falcon Heights, Forest Lake, Golden Valley,
Hermantown, Lauderdale, Lilydale, Little Canada, Mankato, Mendota Heights, Minneapolis,
Minnetonka, Mounds View, New Brighton, North Mankato, North Oaks, Plymouth, Richfield,
Robbinsdale, Roseville, Shoreview, St. Louis Park, St. Peter, Waseca, and West St. Paul are now
counted in the growing list of localities that have taken action to protect our youth from the
harms of tobacco, and it is our hope that the City of Scandia and the rest of Minnesota will
follow suit.
1 Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids, States and Localities that Have Raised the Minimum Legal Sale Age for Tobacco
Products to 21, available at:
https://www.tobaccofreekids.org/content/what_we_do/state_local_issues/sales_21/states_localities_MLSA_21.pdf
Cigarette smoking remains the leading preventable cause of death in the United States2, and
while there are many strategies already in place to reduce the use of tobacco, a strategy is
needed to ensure that adolescents and young adults to do not start to smoke. Raising the
minimum legal sale age for tobacco products will delay initiation rates of tobacco use by
adolescents and lower prevalence in the overall population.3 In addition, the downstream
effects of smoking – tobacco-related disease – will also decrease in proportion to the reduction
in tobacco use.
On behalf of the MMA, I urge you to acknowledge the long-term effects of tobacco use on the
adolescent brain and adopt an ordinance to protect this community’s children.
Sincerely,
Keith Stelter, MD
MMA President
2 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Health Effects of Smoking, available at:
https://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/data_statistics/fact_sheets/health_effects/effects_cig_smoking/
3 National Academy of Medicine, Public Health Implications of Raising the Minimum Age of Legal Access to Tobacco
Products, March 2015, available at:
http://www.nationalacademies.org/hmd/Reports/2015/TobaccoMinimumAgeReport.aspx