Smoking Ban in MN

Smoking Ban in MN

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Statewide ban motivating Minnesota smokers to quit

By Josephine Marcotty, Star Tribune

Last update: December 11, 2007 - 9:58 AM

The state-wide smoking ban is having an unadvertised consequence: More smokers are trying to quit.

Since the ban went into effect Oct. 1, the state's two largest health plans and the anti-tobacco organization ClearWay have seen a sharp spike in the number of people using nicotine replacement products and smoking cessation counseling programs.

Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota said that between September and October the number of people who enrolled for its telephone hotline counseling service jumped to 525, an increase of 43 percent. Compared to October 2006, the number of over-the-counter products like the patch and nicotine gum that it provided to members tripled to a total of 10,000 claims.

"It's doing what we like it to do," said Marc Manley, medical director for population health at Blue Cross. "Helping people decide to quit."

Medica, Minnesota's second-largest health plan, said it has also seen a 40 percent increase in the number of members seeking counseling.

And ClearWay Minnesota, an anti-tobacco organization that provides a variety of quit-smoking programs for Minnesotans, has seen similar trends. A total of 693 people enrolled in its web-based program in October, an increase of 8 percent compared to the same month a year earlier. And already 27 employers have asked ClearWay to supply an on-site smoking counselor in January to help their workers quit. That compares to 76 companies in all of 2007, said Michael Sheldon, communications manager for ClearWay.

All the programs provide regular support, counseling, and nicotine replacement products for smokers who want to quit.

Minnesota is among 22 states that have passed smoke-free laws that outlaw smoking in all workplaces, including restaurants and bars. The expressed intent of the law is apparent in its name -- the Freedom to Breathe Act. Health an

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