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Personal stories from Goodhue County about the benefits of smoke-free air.    read more....

 

Smoke-free Coalition Day at the State Capitol

On March 3, 2009 a delegation of ten members from Citizens for a Smoke-free Goodhue County participated in a special event at the state capitol.  We combined forces with smoke-free coalitions from Dakota County and from the St. Cloud area for this event.

Our group included members from Cannon Falls, Kenyon, Red Wing, Wanamingo and Zumbrota.  We met with Senator Murphy and with Representatives Kelly and Drazkowski to urge them to keep our smoke-free law strong and to vote against any changes that would weaken its protection.

 

Save the date: Wednesday, April 14th The Tobacco Industry hasn't given up. Neither will we. Use your voice to fight back against the tobacco industry.  Join with other Minnesotans at our State Capitol.  (read more)

 

Citizens for a Smoke-free Goodhue County is now part of the Four Corners Partnership

 

We have had great success in the past supporting the Freedom to Breathe Act of 2007. We have educated the public in Goodhue County about the dangers of secondhand smoke and the benefits of smoke-free air. We have also informed the public about tobacco cessation resources available to residents of our county.

I wish I could say that tobacco no longer plays a significant role in harming the health of Goodhue County residents, but this would just be wishful thinking. Look at almost any convenience store, market, drug store or gas station in your community and you will quickly see that tobacco use is still very much a part of life in our county. Almost everyone I talk to has a story to tell about how tobacco has harmed or killed someone they know.

Consider this:

• Tobacco causes 5,500 deaths each year in Minnesota.
• For every person who dies from a smoking related illness, 20 more people suffer with at least one serious illness from smoking.
• Smoking costs Minnesota nearly $2 billion in health care costs every year.

To continue our important work to reduce the harm caused by tobacco we have joined forces with like-minded individuals and organizations in three of our neighboring counties. This will help us to spread our tobacco-free message more effectively.

When everyone the harm tobacco causes, we will see significant change. Each of us can do our part to bring about a healthy tobacco-free future by becoming better informed about the issues and then sharing what we know with the people we know, including our elected officials. It’s really that simple. Grassroots people like us really do have the power to bring about positive change.

Thank you for your continued support.

Sincerely,

Tom Wolff, Coordinator
Citizens for a Smoke-free Goodhue County

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