To the Editor,
Like my colleagues around the state, I was ecstatic to learn that the smoking rate among teenagers is falling to record low levels, according to the Minnesota Student Survey results.
However, this great news from the Minnesota Student Survey is tempered by some very serious findings that we need to address head on.
First, while the teen smoking rates have fallen to new lows of 8 percent of 11th graders, this still means tens of thousands of Minnesota kids regularly smoke cigarettes.
Second, the tobacco industry’s ploy of using menthol, fruit and candy-flavored products to appeal to young people is working. The survey found that 35 percent of teen tobacco users use menthol and 40 percent use some other flavor, like grape, cotton candy or pineapple.
Third, the use of e-cigarettes is extremely widespread. Nearly one in five high school juniors reports using an e-cigarette in the past 30 days. We don’t know the long-term health effects of e-cigarettes. We do know that the aerosol they emit has been shown to contain heavy metals, formaldehyde and other carcinogens. And it contains nicotine, which is highly addictive and dangerous to teen brain development.
We can do more to prevent teens from using tobacco products and we need to do it. Steps proven to work include keeping tobacco prices high, raising the age to purchase tobacco and restricting the sale of flavored products. You can find out more about ways to foster a smoke-free generation at smokefreegenmn.org.
Carol Biren
