The Minnesota Department of Health, worked with a Tobacco Endowment Advisors group, to develop a long-term plan to reduce tobacco use among young people. Much of the groundwork for this plan has already been laid, with research conducted by the national Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and strategies proposed recently by the Minnesota Public Health Improvement Partnership, a consortium of state and local organizations. It's time to put an end to the most significant public health problem facing us today. Size of the Problem Tobacco use is the leading cause of preventable death and disease in Minnesota. Smoking causes heart disease, cancer, chronic lung disease, and other diseases.
Smokeless tobacco is associated with cancer of the gum, mouth, pharynx, larynx and esophagus.
Cigar smoking can cause oral, esophageal, laryngeal and lung cancers. Second-hand smoke is the third leading cause of death, and is of special concern for pregnant women, children, and persons with asthma and other chronic diseases. More children under 18 are starting to smoke on a daily basis than any other age group. Approximately 17,000 Minnesota children become new daily smokers each year. After increasing sharply during the mid-90s, monthly use among ninth graders has stabilized at 30 percent.