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All (152) Pages (73) Blog Posts (79) 152 items found for "" Pages (73) Jason Lind STAFF DIRECTORY Jeanne Weigum President Jeanne Weigum has served as the President of ANSR since 1980, though her path to leading the organization for nearly four decades has somewhat humble roots. The Association for Nonsmokers’ Rights, as it was called at the time, was in the midst of fighting for the nation’s first statewide clean indoor air law in 1975. Jeanne saw an ad in a local paper about the association’s work and decided to become a member, which only cost $1. After becoming a member, Jeanne soon joined the ANSR board and eventually moved her way up to the full-time President, a role for which she has never taken a salary. From ground-breaking smoke-free housing work to innovative approaches to preventing youth tobacco use, she has provided strategic direction for numerous public policy wins in Minnesota. She remains deeply committed to enhancing public health and her community. When not fighting the good fight at ANSR, you’ll find Jeanne baking in the winter, gardening in the spring and summer, and up to her ankles in rescue dogs year round. Email Jeanne Emily Anderson Director of Policy Emily Anderson is a Program Director who focuses on point-of-sale policy work and clean outdoor air in parks and on college campuses. Since her first year at Macalester College in Saint Paul, Emily knew she wanted to work at a nonprofit and contribute to a greater good. After graduate school and stops at a few other nonprofits, she found her niche in public health policy and tobacco prevention at ANSR. Emily has supported dozens of Minnesota communities in passing tobacco-free parks policies and has worked closely with colleges and universities, including the University of Minnesota, in adopting tobacco-free campus policies. She advocated for a first-of-its-kind cigar pricing ordinance in Brooklyn Center. She has presented at several public health conferences, including the National Summit on Smokeless and Spit Tobacco and the National Conference on Tobacco or Health. Outside of work Emily enjoys spending time with her family in Minneapolis and heading into the great outdoors to bike, camp and skijor. While Minnesota is now home, she takes pride in teaching her two young daughters to say “Go, Pack, Go!” Email Emily Esha Seth Director of Technical Assistance Esha Seth serves as the Technical Assistance Program Coordinator. In her role, Esha works with county health departments across the state and community organizations that represent various diverse communities to provide resources and guidance on their tobacco prevention initiatives in schools, worksites, grounds, parks, and point of sale policy initiatives. During her time at ANSR, Esha has worked on developing relationships with individuals and provides guidance and resources to assist with the implementation and enforcement of tobacco prevention policies and initiatives. Esha has also worked to help create the free online retailer training that helps educate tobacco retailers on state laws on selling tobacco. Most recently, Esha worked with the Isanti County public health department and their local substance abuse prevention coalition to increase the tobacco sales age from 18 to 21 for all licensed tobacco retailers in the county. Esha is currently working on wrapping up her Master’s in Public Health from the University of Minnesota. Outside of school and work, Esha enjoys travelling and is making travel plans for her next big adventure around the world. Email Esha Katie Engman Program Director Policy & Compliance Katie Engman is a Program Director. Since 2002, Katie has coordinated and supported diverse school- and community-based tobacco prevention programming and advocacy work. Katie is currently working to reduce the amount of tobacco advertising and marketing aimed at youth. Much of Katie’s career has been focused on youth prevention, education, advocacy and engagement resulting in national awards for students. Some of her policy accomplishments include: numerous tobacco-free park policies, a smoke-free workplace ordinance in Ramsey County, an imitation tobacco ordinance and sign ordinance updates in St. Paul, flavored tobacco restrictions in multiple metro communities, numerous city ordinance updates to reflect the changing landscape of tobacco. She also directs the North Suburban Tobacco Compliance Project working to reduce youth access to commercial sources of tobacco. This is a one of a kind model with coordination with cities, law enforcement and youth. Outside the office one might find Katie in the middle of a lake, having arrived there via swimming, boating, or paddling. She also enjoys planning family adventures, such as trips to the beach and cheering on her kids at their activities. Email Katie Jackie Siewert Program Director Live Smoke Free Jackie Siewert is the Program Director for the Live Smoke Free Program. Jackie joined the ANSR team in 2014 with a background in property management and a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Minnesota. As Program Director for the Live Smoke Free program she works with local and national stakeholders, such as renters, homeowners, property managers, property owners, and public health advocates, to educate decision makers and promote smoke-free housing. Jackie has supported hundreds of multi-housing properties in adopting smoke-free policies, developed numerous educational tools and resources, and spoken at many health and housing events. Jackie also manages Live Smoke Free communications, including quarterly newsletters, social media, and website content. Inside Jackie’s office one will find a variety of cacti and vining plants. In her spare time, Jackie enjoys running, biking, art festivals, and cats. Email Jackie Kara Skahen Program Director Minnesota Prevention Resource Center Kara serves as the Project Director for the Minnesota Prevention Resource Center (MPRC). In her role she provides programmatic oversight and manages administrative duties. Kara has worked in public health prevention for over ten years, primarily in commercial tobacco prevention. Kara is also a Program Director for the Association for Nonsmokers-MN where she leads smoke-free housing policy initiatives and provides tobacco technical assistance to Statewide Health Improvement Partnership (SHIP) grantees. Outside of work Kara enjoys running with her dog, cooking, reading, and gardening. Kara has a Master of Social Work and Master of Public Policy degree from the University of Minnesota- Twin Cities. ​ Email Kara Chris Smith Community Policy Advocate Chris started at ANSR as a contracted Campaign Organizer in 2020 and officially joined the team as a Community Policy Advocate in 2022. Chris enjoys connecting communities with lawmakers and city leadership. He believes that community engagement is key to developing sound equitable policies. Chris holds a bachelor’s degree in business and a master’s in advocacy and political leadership -both from Metropolitan State University. He comes to ANSR with a breadth of community organizing experience, from working closely with faith communities as a congregational organizer, to field organizing during numerous election cycles for political and issue campaigns. At ANSR Chris is focused on local tobacco prevention policy at point of sale and smoke-free housing. While not working in the office, Chris spends much of his time biking, developing bikepacking routes for his next adventure, and cheering on the St. Paul Saints with friends and family. Chris is a downtown St. Paul resident and considers himself to be an “armchair Urbanist” since he often criticizes street design, even though he does not hold a degree in engineering or urban planning. Email Chris Jason Lind Director of Finance Jason Lind is ANSR’s Director of Finance. He joined ANSR in 2020 and has more than 16 years of accounting experience, including six in the nonprofit world. Jason helps manage the overall ANSR budget and helps each program budget spend appropriately. He is passionate about technology and enjoys teaching and discussing tech of almost any kind. Personally, he enjoys going for long walk-and-talks with his wife and throwing not-so-perfect spirals to his twin boys. Email Jason Molly Schmidtke Community Outreach Coordinator Molly Schmidtke is a Community Outreach Coordinator. In this role, Molly is responsible for conducting outreach and education events, supporting youth policy and advocacy efforts, and supporting all other ANSR tobacco prevention efforts. Some of her accomplishments include: multiple flavored commercial tobacco restrictions in MN communities, working with youth to create, disseminate and evaluate vaping prevalence surveys with youth partners, as well as creating and disseminating a toolkit focused on the environmental impacts of commercial tobacco products. She has a BS from the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse in Public Health – Community Health Education and is a Certified Health Education Specialist. She is currently pursuing a Master’s in Public Health degree at the University of Minnesota. She is passionate about many public health topics, such as health equity, policy and advocacy. Outside of work, Molly loves to be out on the Mississippi River, cooking, and watching the Minnesota Wild. Email Molly David Olson TITLE Description Email Jack Madeline Bremel Events Manager Madeline is the Events Manager for the Minnesota Prevention Resource Center, and is responsible for planning and coordinating MPRC events, including the annual MN Prevention Program Sharing Conference, and supporting MPRC’s technical assistance and communications needs. Madeline has worked in Public Health in Minnesota, Oregon, and New Mexico, and has found a niche doing planning, organization, and communication-related work at the systems level. Madeline has an MPH from Oregon State University in Health Promotion and Health Behavior. Outside of work you might find Madeline cross-country skiing, crafting, or studying her dog, Pearl’s, personality. Email Madeline Kayla Baker Regional Alcohol Tobacco and Other Drugs Prevention Coordinator MN Metro - Region 7 Kayla is the Metro Regional Prevention Coordinator, which she works with coalitions and communities to promote substance misuse prevention. Kayla has her Bachelor’s degree in Community Health Education from North Dakota State University, and her Master’s degree in Wellness and Health Promotion Management from Nebraska Methodist College. She is also a Certified Health Education Specialist (CHES). Prior to becoming a Regional Prevention Coordinator, Kayla spent time working in various health related roles including chemical and mental health, Responsible Beverage Server Training (RBST), alcohol compliance checks, diabetes prevention, and most recently, COVID-19. During her free time Kayla enjoys hiking, baking, and crocheting. Email Kayla Curtis Neff Campaign Organizer Curtis is the Campaign Organizer working to end the sale of flavor tobacco products in Minnesota. Much of his work is focused on recruiting community partners to educate and advocate for this change. Curtis comes to ANSR from a long career in organized labor and activism. He is a graduate of Iowa State University with a BS in Political Science. Outside of work he collects vinyl from many genres and enjoys a quiet life in St. Paul. Email Curtis Morgan Hamernik Administrative & Communications Specialist Morgan Hamernik is an Administrative and Communications Specialist. She joined the ANSR team in 2023 and is responsible for managing the organization’s social media accounts, writing newsletters, and supporting the staff’s education and advocacy efforts. She recently graduated from the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities with a BA in English and a minor in public health. Morgan is passionate about digital accessibility, inclusive health communication, and public libraries. Outside of work, you will likely find Morgan cheering on the Packers or playing with her dog, Happy. Email Morgan Staff List (List) | ANSRMN.ORG MEET OUR TEAM Email Jeanne Jeanne Weigum President Jeanne has served as the President of ANSR since 1980, though her path to leading the organization for nearly four decades has somewhat humble roots. The Association for Nonsmokers’ Rights, as it was called at the time, was in the midst of fighting for the nation’s first statewide clean indoor air law in 1975. Jeanne saw an ad in a local paper about the association’s work and decided to become a member, which only cost $1. After becoming a member, Jeanne soon joined the ANSR board and eventually moved her way up to the full-time President, a role for which she has never taken a salary. From ground-breaking smoke-free housing work to innovative approaches to preventing youth tobacco use, she has provided strategic direction for numerous public policy wins in Minnesota. She remains deeply committed to enhancing public health and her community. When not fighting the good fight at ANSR, you’ll find Jeanne baking in the winter, gardening in the spring and summer, and up to her ankles in rescue dogs year round. Email Emily Emily Anderson Director of Policy Emily is a Program Director who focuses on point-of-sale policy work and clean outdoor air in parks and on college campuses. Since her first year at Macalester College in Saint Paul, Emily knew she wanted to work at a nonprofit and contribute to a greater good. After graduate school and stops at a few other nonprofits, she found her niche in public health policy and tobacco prevention at ANSR. Emily has supported dozens of Minnesota communities in passing tobacco-free parks policies and has worked closely with colleges and universities, including the University of Minnesota, in adopting tobacco-free campus policies. She advocated for a first-of-its-kind cigar pricing ordinance in Brooklyn Center. She has presented at several public health conferences, including the National Summit on Smokeless and Spit Tobacco and the National Conference on Tobacco or Health. Outside of work Emily enjoys spending time with her family in Minneapolis and heading into the great outdoors to bike, camp and skijor. While Minnesota is now home, she takes pride in teaching her two young daughters to say “Go, Pack, Go!” Email Katie Katie Engman Program Director, Policy & Compliance Katie is a Program Director. Since 2002, Katie has coordinated and supported diverse school- and community-based tobacco prevention programming and advocacy work. Katie is currently working to reduce the amount of tobacco advertising and marketing aimed at youth. Much of Katie’s career has been focused on youth prevention, education, advocacy and engagement resulting in national awards for students. Some of her policy accomplishments include: numerous tobacco-free park policies, a smoke-free workplace ordinance in Ramsey County, an imitation tobacco ordinance and sign ordinance updates in St. Paul, flavored tobacco restrictions in multiple metro communities, numerous city ordinance updates to reflect the changing landscape of tobacco. She also directs the North Suburban Tobacco Compliance Project working to reduce youth access to commercial sources of tobacco. This is a one of a kind model with coordination with cities, law enforcement and youth. Outside the office one might find Katie in the middle of a lake, having arrived there via swimming, boating, or paddling. She also enjoys planning family adventures, such as trips to the beach and cheering on her kids at their activities. Email Kara Kara Skahen Program Director, Minnesota Prevention Resource Center Kara serves as the Project Director for the Minnesota Prevention Resource Center (MPRC). In her role she provides programmatic oversight and manages administrative duties. Kara has worked in public health prevention for over ten years, primarily in commercial tobacco prevention. Kara is also a Program Director for the Association for Nonsmokers-MN where she leads smoke-free housing policy initiatives and provides tobacco technical assistance to Statewide Health Improvement Partnership (SHIP) grantees. Outside of work Kara enjoys running with her dog, cooking, reading, and gardening. Kara has a Master of Social Work and Master of Public Policy degree from the University of Minnesota- Twin Cities. Email Jason Jason Lind Director of Finance Jason is ANSR’s Director of Finance and IT. He joined ANSR in 2020 and has a long history of nonprofit work. Jason helps manage the overall ANSR budget and ensures we are good stewards of the funds we receive. He is passionate about technology and enjoys teaching and discussing tech of almost any kind. Personally, he enjoys going for long walk-and-talks with his wife, throwing not-so-perfect spirals to his twin boys, and playing pickleball. Email Molly Molly Schmidtke Policy and Technical Assistance Manager Molly is a Policy and Technical Assistance Manager. In this role, Molly is responsible for conducting outreach and education events, supporting youth policy and advocacy efforts, and supporting all other ANSR tobacco prevention efforts. Some of her accomplishments include: multiple flavored commercial tobacco restrictions in MN communities, working with youth to create, disseminate and evaluate vaping prevalence surveys with youth partners, as well as creating and disseminating a toolkit focused on the environmental impacts of commercial tobacco products. She has a BS from the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse in Public Health – Community Health Education and is a Certified Health Education Specialist. She is currently pursuing a Master’s in Public Health degree at the University of Minnesota. She is passionate about many public health topics, such as health equity, policy and advocacy. Outside of work, Molly loves to be out on the Mississippi River, cooking, and watching the Minnesota Wild. Email Chris Christopher Smith Community Policy Advocate Chris started at ANSR as a contracted Campaign Organizer in 2020 and officially joined the team as a Community Policy Advocate in 2022. Chris enjoys connecting communities with lawmakers and city leadership. He believes that community engagement is key to developing sound equitable policies. Chris holds a bachelor’s degree in business and a master’s in advocacy and political leadership -both from Metropolitan State University. He comes to ANSR with a breadth of community organizing experience, from working closely with faith communities as a congregational organizer, to field organizing during numerous election cycles for political and issue campaigns. At ANSR Chris is focused on local tobacco prevention policy at point of sale and smoke-free housing. While not working in the office, Chris spends much of his time biking, developing bikepacking routes for his next adventure, and cheering on the St. Paul Saints with friends and family. Chris is a downtown St. Paul resident and considers himself to be an “armchair Urbanist” since he often criticizes street design, even though he does not hold a degree in engineering or urban planning. Email Curtis Curtis Neff Campaign Organizer Curtis is the Campaign Organizer working to end the sale of flavor tobacco products in Minnesota. Much of his work is focused on recruiting community partners to educate and advocate for this change. Curtis comes to ANSR from a long career in organized labor and activism. He is a graduate of Iowa State University with a BS in Political Science. Outside of work he collects vinyl from many genres and enjoys a quiet life in St. Paul. Email Madeline Madeline Bremel Events Manager Madeline is the Events Manager for the Minnesota Prevention Resource Center, and is responsible for planning and coordinating MPRC events, including the annual MN Prevention Program Sharing Conference, and supporting MPRC’s technical assistance and communications needs. Madeline has worked in Public Health in Minnesota, Oregon, and New Mexico, and has found a niche doing planning, organization, and communication-related work at the systems level. Madeline has an MPH from Oregon State University in Health Promotion and Health Behavior. Outside of work you might find Madeline cross-country skiing, crafting, or studying her dog, Pearl’s, personality. Email David David Olson-Iverson Regional ATOD Prevention Coordinator - Region 5 David Iverson serves as the Cohort 5 Metro and SE Minnesota Regional Prevention Coordinator (RPC). Prior to taking on this role, David was actively involved in various health and substance misuse prevention programs. These include serving as the Drug-Free Communities (DFC) Grant Coordinator in Deer River, being a member of the Standing Together Embracing Prevention coalition in Deer River, holding a position as a board member of the Forward Health Foundation in Deer River, and also working with Itasca County as a D.A.R.E. Role Model in High School. As a DFC Coordinator, he was instrumental in rebranding the community's youth group, Step Up Deer River (stepupdeerriver.org). With more than 25 years of experience working with youth in schools, David has also spent seven years as a head varsity basketball coach and most recently coached a silver medalist team at the North American Indigenous Games in Nova Scotia. David holds an Associate of Arts degree from Itasca Community College and is currently pursuing a major in Special Education at Bethel University. Email Morgan Morgan Hamernik Communications & Outreach Coordinator Morgan is a Communications and Outreach Coordinator. She joined the ANSR team in 2023 and is responsible for managing the organization’s social media accounts, writing newsletters for donors, grantees, and other stakeholders, and supporting the staff’s commercial tobacco prevention advocacy efforts. She graduated from the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities in May 2023 with a bachelor's degree in English and a minor in public health. Morgan is passionate about digital accessibility, inclusive health communication, and public libraries. Outside of work, you will likely find Morgan cheering on the Packers or playing with her dog, Happy. Email Alex Alexandra Eberhart Community Outreach Coordinator Alex is a Community Outreach Coordinator mainly working on the Live Smoke Free program housed at ANSR. Alex assists multi-unit housing properties adopt smoke-free policies, contributes to community outreach, resident engagement, and enforcement strategies for smoke-free housing. Additionally, she helps manage Live Smoke Free social media. Alex earned a Master's in Public Health from St. Ambrose University and a BS in Public Health - Health Administration from Winona State University. With her long standing passion for community well-being, she is eager to further ANSR's mission and engage with communities in promoting smoke-free living. Outside of work you can find her playing pickleball, reading a book, or enjoying the outdoors. Tobacco 101: Lesson Seven | ANSRMN.ORG Lesson Seven: Sharing Our Findings: Taking Action Lesson Seven (PDF) Lesson Seven (PPT) Lesson Files How We Will Gather Support Issues and Goals Store Survey Results Tools to Build Support Who Will Support Us Videos Saint Paul Advocates at Work Minneapolis Ordinance Prevents Youth Tobacco Use View All Blog Posts (79) Hennepin County Passes Strong Ordinance 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.” ANSR Submits Public Comment on the FDA’s Proposal to Prohibit Menthol as a Characterizing Flavor 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 Tobacco retailer assessment in Saint Paul indicates early success; Little Canada caps tobacco licenses 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. View All

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ANSR Blog All Posts 24/7 Smoke-free Foster Care ANSR Campuses Cheap Cigars E-Cigarettes Flavored Tobacco Laws & Ordinances Links Live Smoke Free Parks menthol Project Watch RTC TFYR tfyr signs Tobacco 21 Environmental Impact Price Discounting Laws & Ordinances MPRC Laws & Ordinances Prevention Schools Infographic Research Summary Infographic Research Summary Search May 1 1 min Minneapolis City Council Passes Price Discounting Ordinance The Minneapolis City Council passed a comprehensive amendment to the city’s tobacco ordinance on April 25, 2024. Post not marked as liked Dec 14, 2023 2 min Dec. 13, 2023 Named ‘Jeanne Weigum Day’ in Saint Paul The Saint Paul City Council named December 13, 2023 ‘Jeanne Weigum Day' to celebrate Jeanne’s decades-long dedication to Saint Paul. Post not marked as liked Nov 15, 2023 1 min Donate to ANSR this Give to the Max Day Making a donation to ANSR on Give to the Max Day is a powerful way to stand up for the health of Minnesotans. Post not marked as liked Oct 19, 2023 2 min 49 Years of the MN Prevention Program Sharing Conference Since 1974, the Minnesota Prevention Resource Center , housed at ANSR, has hosted the annual Minnesota Prevention Program Sharing... Post not marked as liked Sep 29, 2023 1 min ANSR Creates New ‘Tools for Schools’ Toolkit With funding from the Minnesota Department of Health, ANSR created a new ‘Tools for Schools’ toolkit to help school staff prevent... Post not marked as liked Aug 10, 2023 2 min Richfield Bans Flavors, Caps Licenses at Four On August 8, 2023, the Richfield City Council voted 3-0 to pass an ordinance that prohibits the sale of all flavored commercial tobacco... Post not marked as liked Sep 6, 2022 4 min Tobacco Industry Impact on the Environment 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,... Post not marked as liked Aug 31, 2022 8 min The Environmental Impacts of Vaping that the Tobacco Industry Doesn’t Want You to Know By Meghan McFarling Most people could probably assume that commercial tobacco products like cigarettes harm our environment. Cigarettes... Post not marked as liked Aug 1, 2022 2 min National Conference on Tobacco or Health – NCTOH During the last week of June 2022, twelve ANSR staff, interns, and partners traveled to New Orleans, Louisiana to share and learn at the... Post not marked as liked Jul 5, 2022 5 min ANSR Submits Public Comment on the FDA’s Proposal to Prohibit Menthol as a Characterizing Flavor July 1, 2022 Commissioner Robert M. Califf M.D. c/o Division of Dockets Management HFA-305 Food and Drug Administration 5630 Fishers... Post not marked as liked 1 2 3 4 5