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| 10/8/2008 6:00:00 PM | Email this article • Print this article | Smoke-free law is one year old
News release from the
Goodhue County
Public Health Service
RED WING - October 1, 2008 marked the one year anniversary of the implementation of the Freedom to Breathe Act amendments to the Minnesota Clean Indoor Air Act. All indications are that the implementation of the strengthened smoke-free law went very smoothly throughout Goodhue County.
Goodhue County Public Health Service is the lead agency for responding to complaints about violations of the smoke-free law in Goodhue County. Only six reports of violations have been received since October 1, 2007. Visits were made to the businesses concerned. The focus of these visits was on educating the business owner about the requirements of the new law. All of the violations reported appear to be due to an honest misunderstanding of the law. No second complaints have been received for any of the businesses concerned.
"Passage of the Freedom to Breathe Act of 2007 was one of the most significant public health accomplishments in the history of Minnesota," said Karen Main, Director of Goodhue County Public Health Service (PHS). "As a result of this legislation, Minnesota hospitality workers no longer have to choose between their health and their jobs."
As a result of the smoke-free law, Minnesota is a healthier state than it was one year ago. A study conducted by the University of Minnesota Cancer Center and ClearWay Minnesota found that since the Freedom to Breathe Act went into effect hospitality workers have significantly reduced exposure to a tobacco-specific cancer causing chemical contained in secondhand smoke. The study found that there was an 85 percent decline of the compound NNAL in the bodies of hospitality workers who were tested before and after the law took effect. NNAL is a by-product of a potent lung cancer-causing toxin. This study included participants from Goodhue County.
Equally encouraging are the findings from the latest Minnesota Adult Tobacco survey (MATS) that were released September 10, 2008. This survey, which is released every four years, shows that Minnesota is making significant progress in reducing tobacco use. The survey - conducted by ClearWay Minnesota, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota and the Minnesota Department of Health - found that Minnesota's adult smoking rate has declined to a new low of 17 percent. That figure is down approximately 5 percentage points since 1999 and represents 164,000 fewer smokers. Minnesota's declines are impressive compared to national trends, where smoking rates appear to have stalled at about 20 percent since 2004.
The results of the 2007 MATS do not reflect the impact of the October 1, 2007 implementation of the Freedom to Breathe Act. The data collection for MATS was completed prior to this time.
"It is likely that we will see another significant decline in the smoking rate four years from now when the next survey is released," said PHS Director Main. "Experience from other states has shown that smoke-free laws like the Freedom to Breathe Act help smokers to quit. Tobacco use is still the leading cause of preventable death and disease."
The 2007 MATS found that over half (56.7 percent) of Minnesota adults who smoked in the 12 months before the survey attempted to quit smoking during the last year. Goodhue County Public Health Service is working to connect smokers with resources to help them quit.
"Studies show that people who get help to quit are much more likely to succeed," Main said. "We encourage anyone who is thinking about quitting smoking or chewing tobacco to take advantage of the resources that are available."
Most health insurance plans include help to quit using tobacco as a free service and have a telephone quit line that provides personalized counseling. There may be a cost for prescription medication. Another resource that is available to anyone who lives or works in Minnesota is QUITPLAN(r) Services. All of their services are free of charge and some provide free nicotine patches, lozenges and gum. They can be reached at 1-888-354-PLAN.
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