(KNSI) – Minnesota’s tobacco control report card contains some passing and failing grades, according to the American Lung Association.
In its State of Tobacco 2021 report, the ALA says Minnesota gets an A for smokefree air. The state gets Bs for its efforts in access to tobacco cessation services and tobacco taxes. However, Minnesota receives Fs for flavored tobacco products and tobacco prevention and cessation funding.
On the funding side, the ALA says Minnesota will spend $12.4 million on state prevention and cessation programs, with an additional $1.5 million from the federal government.
“Unfortunately, there’s still a lot of taxation and money that isn’t going toward prevention; it’s going more toward the general fund,” says Jodi Gertken, CentraCare’s community wellness program director.