April 29, 2020
House Speaker Melissa Hortman House Minority Leader Rep. Kurt Daudt Senate Majority Leader Paul Gazelka Senator Minority Leader Senator Susan Kent
Dear Legislative Leaders:
On behalf of the Minnesota Medical Association (MMA), the state’s professional association of physicians, residents, and medical students, I write today to urge the Legislature to pass a statewide “Tobacco 21” law to reduce nicotine and tobacco’s harm. Both the House and Senate bills have received considerable attention in both bodies, and the time to act is now.
As you likely know, in December the President signed legislation that included a provision setting the age at which individuals may purchase products containing tobacco and nicotine at 21. The MMA strongly supported the federal action, though Minnesota must also act to best protect young people by adopting our own state law. Doing so will ensure that Minnesota can continue to effectively enforce the law through compliance checks and penalties for those who sell these products to underage individuals, while providing needed clarity to law enforcement and retailers alike.
Nicotine and tobacco use remains the leading preventable cause of death in the United States. Aligning Minnesota’s law with the federal law will allow the state to most effectively reduce the use of these dangerous products by young people. While there is much debate about how to best provide health care to all Minnesotans, reducing the harms of nicotine and tobacco should be something on which all policy- makers can agree.
Minnesota must act now to protect young people from the dangers of nicotine and tobacco use. On behalf of Minnesota’s physician and physicians-in-training, the MMA strongly urges the House and Senate to act quickly to pass Minnesota’s T21 legislation, HF 331 and SF 463, this legislative session. Thank you for your consideration.
Sincerely,
Keith Stelter, MD President Minnesota Medical Association
CC: Rep. Heather Edelson Sen. Carla Nelson