Tobacco Facts.

Any kind of tobacco, smoked, absorbed, inhaled, sniffed, ingested or chewed must be behind Minnesota store counters. Such tobacco products as – powered e-cigarettes and strawberry-scented little cigars will be difficult to buy for young Minnesotans starting Sunday.

In conformance with the new state law all stores and retailers must keep tobacco products behind the counter and not in attracting displays within easy reach of young customers.

The present law is aimed to keep Minnesota abreast of the future generation of tobacco products, which have a low price and are marketed to teenagers, declared Kerri Gordon, a representative for ClearWay Minnesota (a noncommercial quit-smoking organization).

“These are not those cigarettes that your grandfather smoked,” Gordon said. “The up-to- date tobacco industry is developing very quickly and already there are smokeless products. You may even find almost edible tobacco.”

For example such products as Camel Orbs – soluble nicotine tablets that come in flavors and shape that resemble Tic-Tacs.
“In my opinion these tobacco products are aimed at a younger audience, as the heavy smokers already have their favorite brands. They know what they like and want. And usually they do not try new things”, said Calitta Jones, an 18-year-old girl from St. Paul.
The number of high school students who smoke has dropped from more than 36% in 1997 to less than 20% last year, according to survey. Meanwhile the number of teenagers who use smokeless tobacco hasn’t changed, around 9 % during the same period.
Minnesota shows a drop in teenagers smoking over the past decade, according to a student survey.

ClearWay was interested in these alternative products and published a report named “Unfiltered”, where it presented detailed information on marketing of tobacco to youth through video, flashy packaging and other methods.

A study released on Wednesday by the University of California, Riverside found out that smokers need more sucking in order to inhale an electronic-cigarette. This fact may turn many smokers to a compensative smoking product sooner or later.

Gordon stated that however the new law restricts access to tobacco products it doesn’t change the most important reason of youth smoking – the price.

ClearWay had recently proposed redefining little cigars as cigarettes. Thus it would increase the tax on those cigars, holding the cost-sensitive teens and young adults from buying them. This proposal was rejected by some legislators, due to their concern that it may represent a new tax on business.

“The majority of stores already place tobacco products behind their counters in order to impede minor smokers and theft,” said Lance Klatt the Minnesota Service Station and Convenience Store Association, which supported the given law.

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