Alcohol, drugs and addictions: tobacco

DHS helps to keep commercial tobacco products away from people who are underage.

DHS works with the federal Food and Drug Administration to conduct inspections of every establishment in Minnesota that sells tobacco products containing nicotine including cigarettes, chew, e-cigarettes etc. Inspections help determine if the tobacco retailers are following the Federal Law. DHS has been conducting these inspections since 2011, and as of October 31, 2018, DHS has conducted 34,079 inspections resulting in 1,747 warning letters, 348 civil money penalties and one no sale order issued by the FDA.

Results of tobacco compliance checks conducted under this program are public, and can be found at the Food and Drug Administration website.

Congratulate and Educate is a tobacco merchant education project designed to educate retailers about the important role they play in keeping Minnesota’s youth tobacco free and penalties they could incur if they do not comply with state and federal requirements. In 2018, seventy local law enforcement and public health departments participated in the program and conducted 1,651 inspections.

DHS works with three in-patient substance abuse treatment programs and four opioid treatment programs to help them provide nicotine treatment to their nicotine dependent clients. Through November 2018, 190 clients have received nicotine treatment though this project.

• The Minnesota Department of Health has tobacco resources to educate people about the dangers of tobacco products and to help you quit
• Statistics from the Minnesota Department of Health
• Clearway Minnesota
• American Lung Association
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

For more information about any of these programs, contact Collin Frazier, Nicotine Treatment/ Point of Sale Prevention & Control, at 651-431-2341 or Collin.frazier@state.mn.us