Tobacco use in Minnesota 2018

Cigarette use: Minnesota*

• In 2016, 15.2 percent of adults smoked. Nationally, the rate was 17.1 percent.¹
• In 2017, 9.6 percent of high school students smoked on at least one day in the past 30 days. Nationally, the rate was 8.8 percent.² ³

Other tobacco product use: Minnesota

• In 2015, 2.6 percent of adults used e-cigarettes, 2.4 percent used smokeless tobacco and 2.9 percent smoked cigars.⁴
• In 2017, 19.2 percent of high school students used e-cigarettes, 6.0 percent used smokeless tobacco and 10.6 percent smoked cigars on at least one day in the past 30 days.²

Economics of tobacco use and tobacco control

• Minnesota received $739.4 million (estimated) in tobacco settlement payments and taxes in fiscal year 2018.³
• Of this, the state allocated $20.6 million in state funds to tobacco prevention in fiscal year 2018, just 38.9 percent of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s annual spending target.³
• Smoking-caused health care costs: $2.51 billion per year⁵
• Smoking-caused losses in productivity: $1.54 billion per year⁶

Minnesota tobacco laws

Tobacco taxes

• Minnesota is ranked 7th in the U.S. for its cigarette tax of $3.04 per pack (enacted January 2018), compared to the national average of $1.73. (Connecticut and New York have the highest tax at $4.35 and Missouri has the lowest at 17 cents.)⁵ ⁶ ⁷
• Moist snuff is taxed at $2.83 per container (i.e., the smallest consumer-sized can, package or other container that is marketed or packaged by an entity for separate sale to a retail purchaser). Premium cigars are taxed at 95 percent of the wholesale price or $3.50 per cigar, whichever is less. All other tobacco products, including e-cigarettes, are taxed at 95 percent of the wholesale sales price.⁷ ⁸

Clean indoor air ordinances

• Smoking is prohibited in all government workplaces (workplaces with two or fewer employees are exempt), private workplaces (workplaces with two or fewer employees are exempt), schools, childcare facilities, restaurants, bars, casinos/gaming establishments (tribal establishments are exempt), retail stores and recreational/cultural facilities.⁶

Youth access laws

• The minimum age of sale for tobacco products in Minnesota is 18.⁸
• Minors are prohibited from buying nicotine delivery products, including e-cigarettes.⁵
• Self-service sales are prohibited, except in adult-only facilties.⁷ ⁸

Local tobacco laws

• Bloomington, Edina, Falcon Heights, Minneapolis, North Mankato, Plymouth, Shoreview, St. Louis Park and St. Peter have raised their minimum age of sale for purchasing tobacco products to 21.⁹
• In Minneapolis and St. Paul, the sale of flavored tobacco products is restricted to tobacco-product shops. The sale of menthol flavored tobacco products is prohibited except in adult-only tobacco shops and liquor stores.¹⁰ ¹¹
• In Duluth, the sale of flavored tobacco products, including menthol, is prohibited except in adult-only tobacco stores.¹²
• In Robbinsdale, Shoreview and St. Louis Park, the sale of flavored tobacco products is prohibited except in adult-only tobacco stores. Menthol, mint and wintergreen flavors are exempt from the restriction.¹³ ¹⁴ ¹⁵
• In Minneapolis, Robbinsdale and St. Paul, the minimum price for cigars (after coupons and discounts but before sales tax) is $2.60 for a single cigar, $5.20 for a two-pack or “double” pack, $7.80 for a three-pack and $10.40 for packs with four or more cigars.¹¹ ¹³ ¹⁶
• Rock County prohibits pharmacies from selling tobacco products.¹⁷

Quitting statistics and benefits

• The CDC estimates that 48.3 percent of daily adult smokers in Minnesota quit smoking for one or more days in 2016.¹⁸
• In 2014, the Affordable Care Act required that Medicaid programs cover all quit medications.⁸**
• Minnesota’s state quit line invests $14.66 per smoker, compared to the national average of $2.10.⁸
• Minnesota does not have a private insurance mandate provision for quitting tobacco.⁸

Notes and references

Updated June 2018

* National and state-level prevalence numbers reflect the most recent data available. This may differ across state fact sheets.

** The seven recommended cessation medications are NRT gum, NRT patch, NRT nasal spray, NRT inhaler, NRT lozenge, Varenicline (Chantix) and Bupropion (Zyban). Fiore MC, et al. Treating Tobacco Use and Dependence: 2008 Update. Clinical Practice Guideline. Rockville, MD: US Department of Health and Human Services. Public Health Service: May 2008.

1. CDC, Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, 2016.
2. Minnesota Youth Tobacco Survey, 2017.
3. CDC, Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System, 2017.
4. CDC, State-Specific Prevalence of Tobacco Product Use Among Adults - United States, 2014-2015, MMWR.
5. Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, Broken Promises to Our Children: a State-by-State Look at the 1998 State Tobacco Settlement 19 Years Later FY2018, 2017.
6. Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, Toll of Tobacco in the United States, 2018.
7. American Lung Association, SLATI State Reports, 2017.
8. American Lung Association, State of Tobacco Control, 2018.
9. Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids. States and Localities that have Raised the Minimum Legal Sales Age for Tobacco Products to 21. 2018; https://www.tobaccofreekids.org/assets/content/what_we_do/state_local_issues/sales_21/states_localities_MLSA_21.pdf.
10. City of Minneapolis. An Ordinance of the City of Minneapolis by Yang and Gordon. Amending Title 13, Chapter 281 of the Minneapolis Code of Ordinances relating to Licenses and Business Regulations: Tobacco Dealers. 2015; http://www.ci.minneapolis.mn.us/www/groups/public/@clerk/documents/webcontent/wcms1p-142066.pdf. Accessed February 9, 2017.
11. St. Paul, Minnesota - Code of Ordinances. Title XXIX - Licenses, Chapter 324 - Tobacco, Section 324.07 - Sales prohibited.  https://library.municode.com/mn/st._paul/codes/code_of_ordinances?nodeId=PTIILECO_TITXXIXLI_CH324TO_S324.07SAPR.
12. City of Duluth. Ordinance Amending Chapter 11 of the Duluth City Code to Restrict the Sale of Flavored Tobacco Products to Adult Only Smoke Shops. 2018; https://duluth-mn.legistar.com/LegislationDetail.aspx?ID=3298582&GUID=16CC3F1B-71AE-4B96-98DA-F91C8838D506.
13. City of Robbinsdale. Complying with Robbinsdale's Tobacco Product Requirements.  http://www.robbinsdalemn.com/home/showdocument?id=10101.
14. The Association for Nonsmokers-Minnesota. Shoreview votes to restrict flavored tobacco. November 29, 2016.
15. City of St. Louis Park. St. Louis Park City Council bans flavored tobacco sales in St. Louis Park. 2017; https://www.stlouispark.org/Home/Components/News/News/130/18.
16. City of Minneapolis. Complying with Minneapolis' Tobacco Flavor and Pricing Requirements. 2016; http://www.ci.minneapolis.mn.us/www/groups/public/@regservices/documents/webcontent/wcms1p-150533.pdf. Accessed February 9, 2017.
17. Americans Nonsmokers' Rights Foundation. Municipalities with Tobacco-Free Pharmacy Laws. 2018; http://no-smoke.org/pdf/pharmacies.pdf.
18. CDC, Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, State Tobacco Activities Tracking and Evaluation System, 2016.