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July 2026
This is your bimonthly digest of news and new resources for Minnesota professionals committed to eliminating the harms of commercial tobacco use.
In this issue:
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Data from the 2025 Minnesota Student Survey show e-cigarette use (vaping) continues to decline. Among 11th grade students, 8% report vaping, down from 14% in 2022. Data also show that most 11 grade students who vape (89%) report vaping flavored e-cigarettes. Fruit and menthol were the two most popular flavors. E-cigarettes are still the most used commercial tobacco product among youth, and nearly all e-cigarettes contain nicotine. Nicotine is highly addictive.
 Significant disparities remain among populations historically targeted by the tobacco and nicotine industry. Data show that while, overall, youth vaping is at its lowest levels, rates remain higher for some groups. For example:
- Vaping is highest among students who identified as American Indian.
- Vaping is higher among students who have experienced homelessness or food insecurity.
- Vaping is higher among youth who reported experiencing suicidal thoughts, anxiety, and depression.
A new report released by the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) shows the agency has made significant progress on health equity initiatives over the last decade. The new report titled, “Advancing Health Equity at the Minnesota Department of Health: 2014-2024” provides an assessment of the department’s progress on recommendations included in the pivotal “Advancing Health Equity in Minnesota: Report to the Legislature,” released in 2014.
“The progress we have made is something to celebrate, but we also know we’re nowhere near the finish line,” said Commissioner Cunningham. “MDH will continue to work toward a Minnesota where everyone has what they need to be healthy – in the next decade and beyond.”
Read the full report, now posted to the MDH website.
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The tobacco and nicotine industry is increasingly using the public health concept of harm reduction to market newer nicotine products like e-cigarettes (vapes) and pouches as safer alternatives to smoking. In this article, the Public Health Law Center unmasks this strategy as a profit-driven marketing tactic designed to maintain nicotine addiction rather than promote health. While tobacco companies might claim they want people to switch to “safer” products, the industry continues to spend billions on marketing conventional products like cigarettes, ensuring its most profitable product remains on the market.
Despite marketing claims, commercial tobacco products like e-cigarettes or nicotine pouches are not FDA-approved for commercial tobacco use treatment.
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The incredible progress we’ve made in commercial tobacco prevention across Minnesota doesn't happen by accident - it’s driven by dedicated professionals, advocates, and community partners working tirelessly to advance health equity. Now is your chance to shine a spotlight on those efforts. Nominations are officially open for the Minnesota Public Health Impact Awards (formerly the Community Health Awards), celebrating the individuals and organizations making meaningful contributions to our state’s wellbeing.
Whether it's a colleague demonstrating outstanding statewide leadership or a local initiative making strides toward health equity, your nominations help ensure this vital work gets the recognition it deserves. Take a few moments to celebrate our champions by submitting a nomination.
Learn more about the award categories and how to submit nominations.
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The Minnesota Society for Public Health Education (MN SOPHE) is accepting nominations for the 2026 MN SOPHE awards. This is an opportunity to recognize and acknowledge the efforts of public health colleagues, champions, or students, and self-nominations are encouraged!
Nominations are due Aug. 26. Award will be presented at the 2026 Minnesota Society of Public Health Education Annual Summit on Nov. 5 at Winona State University.
Learn more about the award categories and submit your nominations.
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The American Academy of Pediatrics Julius B. Richmond Center of Excellence is accepting Letters of Intent for its Early Career Implementation and Research Grant. This funding opportunity supports early career investigators (within ~10 years of completing terminal clinical training or highest degree) conducting innovative implementation, evaluation, or pilot research to reduce children’s exposure to tobacco and cannabis smoke and aerosols in clinical, community, and public health settings. Projects may focus on tobacco smoke or tobacco- and aerosol-related exposure, alone or in combination with cannabis co-exposure, including emerging nicotine or tobacco products when there is a clear link to child or adolescent exposure outcomes. Selected applicants will receive structured mentorship through the academy’s Tobacco Consortium and may be invited to submit a full proposal.
The call for Letters of Intent is now open, and letters are due Aug. 3. Learn more about the full call for proposals, eligibility, application details, timelines, and submission requirements on the academy’s website.
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Communications and media
Data and research
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Messaging: Tailoring E-cigarette Health Messages by Vaping Status: How Source and Message Presentation Type Shape Young Adults’ Perceptions | Nicotine & Tobacco Research
Tailoring message design to audience’s vaping status can strengthen e-cigarette health messages. Expert sources may be more effective in prevention campaigns, while two-sided messages may enhance cessation efforts. Results show that message source and sidedness interact with vaping status to meaningfully shape message perceptions.
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Coupons: Receipt and Use of Tobacco Product Coupons Among Adults Who Use Cigarettes, Cigars, and Smokeless Tobacco: Reasons for Use and Association With Subsequent Tobacco Product Purchases | Nicotine & Tobacco Research
Coupon receipt and use is common among adults who use commercial tobacco; they often receive and use coupons for multiple tobacco products, illustrating how tobacco companies cross-market products. The findings suggest tobacco companies’ efforts to reach customers and keep them engaged through discount offers are largely successful.
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Youth use: Tobacco product use among middle and high school students in the United States: National Youth Tobacco Survey, 2025 | Nicotine & Tobacco Research
Despite a significant decline in the prevalence of any commercial tobacco, any combusted commercial tobacco, and e-cigarette use between 2022 and 2025, students continued using commercial tobacco products, particularly e-cigarettes, with considerable proportions reporting frequent use.
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Treatment: Barriers to the delivery of smoking cessation advice in general dental practice – a scoping review | The Journal of Public Health
Although dentists provide dental care to many people who smoke, the extent to which they provide smoking cessation advice (SCA) is uncertain. This article reviews current literature identifying the delivery of, and barriers to, SCA.
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E-cigarettes: Interactive Map: E-cigarette Sales by State | CDC Foundation
View detailed sales data graphs and relevant policy information for individual states
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E-cigarettes: Monitoring E-cigarette Sales: State Trends – Data Brief Issue #18 | CDC Foundation (PDF)
CDC Foundation’s Monitoring Tobacco Project has released updated e-cigarette sales data, data visualizations, and data briefs that feature national and state-level sales data highlighting trends in e-cigarette sales from February 2019 – March 2026. Disposable e-cigarettes and non-tobacco flavored products dominate sales in convenience and grocery stores. This data suggests that restrictions exempting certain flavors and product types likely result in sales shifting to the products and flavors that remain on the market.
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Nicotine: Multiple tobacco and nicotine product use is increasingly common among young people | Truth Initiative
Research shows a significant increase in the use of multiple tobacco and nicotine products among young people between 2021 and 2024, including dual use of e-cigarettes and oral nicotine pouches. These findings suggest that oral nicotine pouches are not replacing other tobacco products but rather supplementing existing use patterns and demonstrates how a rapidly expanding product landscape offers more avenues for nicotine use than ever before.
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Flavors: The Public Health Impacts of Flavored Cigar Bans: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis | Nicotine and Tobacco Research
Overall, findings from this review suggest that flavored cigar bans may reduce tobacco use and have the potential to improve public health, but not all research is consistent. Several studies examining the impacts of flavored cigar bans on tobacco use found a decrease in cigar use among youth, but some found that there was no significant change in cigar use. Research on policy impacts among adults is limited. To maximize intended policy impact, monitoring of retailer compliance and the tobacco industry’s response to flavored cigar bans is needed.
Industry targeting and manipulation
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Article: Ultraprocessed Foods in the Global Food System: The Role of US Tobacco Companies | American Journal of Public Health
This article reveals how major tobacco and nicotine companies like Philip Morris and R.J. Reynolds utilized their industry expertise to build multi-billion-dollar international food portfolios between the 1980s and mid-2000s. Researchers found that these corporations deployed the same aggressive marketing, corporate acquisitions, and political strategies used to sell cigarettes to successfully hook global markets on ultra-processed and hyper-palatable foods. By demonstrating how the tobacco and nicotine industry intentionally cross-pollinated its tactics to maximize the consumption of addictive products worldwide, the study underscores a critical need for public health officials to regulate ultra-processed foods with the same systemic, policy-driven approach used for commercial tobacco control.
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Report: Exposing marketing tactics and strategies driving the global growth of nicotine pouches | World Health Organization
This new report aims to help countries understand how the tobacco and nicotine industry promotes nicotine pouches and how they can be effectively regulated. It highlights the public health challenges posed by nicotine pouches, including high nicotine levels, youth-appealing flavors, and heavy marketing on social media and other youth-targeted platforms.
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Article: While cost of living rises, nicotine gets cheaper | Truth Initiative
Despite the rising cost of living, nicotine has become more affordable; especially for young people. This trend is driven largely by disposable e-cigarettes, which now contain more nicotine than ever before. At the same time, the price per milliliter (mL) of nicotine has steadily declined.
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Factsheet: Flavorings | Minnesotans for a Smoke-Free Generation
Flavored commercial tobacco products, including e-cigarettes and menthol, remain a primary gateway for youth initiation, with over 75% of Minnesota youth who use commercial tobacco starting with a flavored product. Public health advocates are pushing to end the sale of these products to protect children, advance racial and health equity in heavily targeted communities, and curb a rising environmental crisis caused by disposable vape waste.
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Podcast: Designing Tomorrow: Integrity Alone Will Get You Outplayed | Public Health Law Center
In a conversation with Eric Ressler, the Public Health Law Center’s Executive Director Joelle Lester discusses how industries continue to use the tobacco and nicotine industry’s strategies of manufacturing doubt and resisting responsibility – tactics that slow progress on climate change, food justice, and other critical public health issues. Hear more about how the Center has spent decades advancing public health and the challenges of continuing that work in today’s environment.
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Article: Harm Reduction and Misinformation in Commercial Tobacco Control | Public Health Law Center
The tobacco and nicotine industry is increasingly using the public health concept of harm reduction to market newer nicotine products like e-cigarettes (vapes) and pouches as safer alternatives to smoking. In this article, the Public Health Law Center unmasks this strategy as a profit-driven marketing tactic designed to maintain nicotine addiction rather than promote health. While tobacco companies might claim they want people to switch to “safer” products, the industry continues to spend billions on marketing conventional products like cigarettes, ensuring its most profitable product remains on the market.
Policy and systems change
Promoting quitting and treatment
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Factsheet: Commercial Tobacco Treatment Access | Minnesotans for a Smoke-Free Generation
With commercial tobacco use costing Minnesota over $9.4 billion annually in healthcare and lost productivity, expanding recovery support is more urgent than ever. Public health advocates are pushing to remove barriers to quitting by improving insurance coverage awareness and integrating tobacco treatment directly into mental health and substance use care facilities.
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Guide: Health Systems Change for Tobacco Cessation Competencies | National Association of Chronic Disease Directors (PDF)
This guide outlines the essential knowledge and skills required for public health professionals to successfully integrate tobacco treatment into routine clinical care. It establishes five core competency areas, such as building partnerships and embedding cessation protocols into workflows, alongside a five-level proficiency scale for staff self-assessment. This framework provides a roadmap for implementing lasting, system-level transformations that treat commercial tobacco use treatment as a standard component of healthcare.
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Guide: Increasing Insurance Coverage for Tobacco Cessation Competencies | National Association of Chronic Disease Directors (PDF)
This guide provides a framework for public health professionals to advocate for and implement comprehensive, barrier-free cessation coverage across public and private health plans. It outlines seven core competency areas such as understanding the economic return on investment, engaging in strategic communications, and utilizing data – alongside a five-level proficiency scale for staff self-assessment. This resource equips coordinators with the necessary skills to embed tobacco cessation coverage into routine healthcare financing, to help increase service utilization and improve long-term public health outcomes.
Retailers and licensing
Youth engagement
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Study: Participants Needed for Youth Tobacco Product Monitoring Project: US Summary | Rutgers Center for Rapid Surveillance of Tobacco
The Rutgers Center for Rapid Surveillance of Tobacco is seeking participants for a study on commercial tobacco products confiscated from high schools and secondary schools around the U.S. Participants will take pictures of commercial tobacco products and upload the images onto a CRST-designed website. This is part of a federally funded grant that can inform understanding of youth use, the market, and potential policy responses. For more information or to submit photos, email CRST_...@ints.rutgers.edu.
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Trainings: CATCH My Breath | CATCH Global Foundation
CATCH delivers comprehensive health programs spanning mental wellbeing, physical and health education, social-emotional learning, oral health, vaping prevention, and more. CATCH focuses on fostering environments that build students’ foundational health knowledge and attitudes while developing their self-efficacy through consistent skill practice and real-world application. CATCH offers both in-person and virtual professional development to equip educators, public health professionals, and community partners with the skills to implement and sustain lasting impact.
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Article: How to talk to your child about nicotine | Truth Initiative
Parents and caregivers have an important role to play when it comes to preventing nicotine addiction and supporting young people in quitting. By approaching conversations with empathy and providing the facts about nicotine addiction and resources to quit, parents can help young people understand risks and make healthy decisions.
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Newsletter: Room to Breathe quarterly newsletter for youth | Minnesota Department of Health
The Room to Breathe newsletter is issued quarterly to Minnesota teens. Each issue contains news and updates from youth across the state who are working to raise awareness of the dangers of vaping, as well as other ways teens can stay healthy. Share the newsletter with teens in your network and encourage them to sign up! Would you like to have Room to Breathe feature the work of youth in your community? Suggest content for inclusion.
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Free help for people in Minnesota
It’s hard to quit smoking, vaping, or using other commercial tobacco products. But there’s good news – many people have quit successfully, and there are medications and strategies to make it easier. In fact, people who use phone coaching and quit medications are twice as likely to successfully quit.
Multiple services are available for residents:
Free tools are resources are also available to help promote quitting and treatment in your community.
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About commercial tobacco use prevention and treatment in Minnesota
The Minnesota Department of Health partners with communities across the state to eliminate the harm of commercial tobacco use, like smoking or vaping. Together we’re working to keep Minnesota healthy by preventing initiation among young people, promoting quitting and treatment, eliminating secondhand exposure, and identifying and eliminating disparities.
Learn more at health.mn.gov/tobacco.
To add items to a future newsletter, suggest content for inclusion. For questions about this newsletter, email tob...@state.mn.us.
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