Tobacco use by teens decreased at a slower rate between 2008 and 2011 and more than 50 percent of high-schoolers are still exposed to secondhand smoke
The Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) today (Monday, Dec. 5) released new information showing that after a decade of sharp declines in tobacco use among teens, progress is slowing.
In addition, more than 50 percent of high school students are still exposed to secondhand smoke, despite the passage of the Freedom to Breathe Act in 2007. Equally concerning is that the use of menthol cigarettes has more than doubled among teen smokers since 2000. These findings are included in the report, Teens and Tobacco in Minnesota 2011; Results from the Minnesota Youth Tobacco and Asthma Survey.
“We’ve made great progress in reducing tobacco use since 2000, but the most recent findings in this new report give us little to celebrate,” said Dr. Ed Ehlinger, Minnesota Commissioner of Health. “We are failing our youth when you consider that they use tobacco at higher rates than adults and are still being exposed to secondhand smoke. We are setting them up for a future of tobacco-related illness and premature death.”
