If it was based solely on choice, would cigarette companies annually spend $200 million in advertising just in the state of Minnesota?
No, of course not. It is because they are locked in a mortal battle for the minds and lungs of the populous.
Undeniably, whether or not the majority of individuals currently partake in the habitual practice of smoking, is the result of the infiltration, influence and acceptance of propaganda either for or against smoking. In this state, the propaganda stream derives from tobacco companies or, from their nemesis, ClearWay Minnesota.

ClearWay headway
Without finances for massive media blitzes afforded the voluminous pockets of big tobacco, representatives of the anti-smoking outfit recently dropped by the Advocate Tribune so to reach out to Minnesotans and inform of them of both the progress of Clearway and of what can they can expect in the near future from the cigarette producers.
In 1965 some 42 percent of the United States partook in the pastime of smoking. Then, the scientific connect between smoking and health issues became increasingly convincing and the number of smokers swiftly dropped.
In 1998 tobacco companies were proven in a court of law to have intentionally deceived the public regarding the affects of their products upon the body, and a $6.2 billion settlement was the result. $202 million of that settlement was set aside  to assist in the reduction of tobacco use through education, legislation, research and cessation programing (Quitplan), of which the organization of ClearWay is a result.
Since Clearway’s creation the  no-smoking campaign has made headway with the said lawsuit; a 75-cent Health Impact Fee in 2005; the Right to Breathe Act of 2007; and this summer’s  Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act, which  gives the FDA additional regulatory control over tobacco.

New products
Despite the no-smoking campaign’s victories, as suggested by the $202 million dollars in in-state advertising, tobacco companies have no intention of rolling over and dying like a cancerous lung.
A 20 percent share of the country’s populous is a substantial number, and Philip Morris and company are doing their best to hold onto their clientele with development of both new and more addictive products. The new tobacco serves multiple purposes, appealing to different and perhaps younger audiences while also managing to offer new smokeless tobacco products as a remedy for the smoking ban.
In January a series of products, somewhat similar to the spitless pouch tobacco called snus, were released in the test markets in Portland, Oregon; Columbus, Ohio and Indianapolis, Indiana. With catch lines like, “The best tobacco you never smoked,” the dissolvable pellets made from finely ground flavored tobacco come in the form of aspirin sized orbs, toothpick sized sticks and super thin strips that dissolve on the tongue.
ClearWay’s Communication Manager Mike Sheldon and Senior Public Affairs Manager Kerri Gordon expressed their concerns over the products, which they viewed to appear like gum or candy so to appeal to youth, especially when flavored.
So that there was no doubt that cigarette companies would partake in such chicanery, Sheldon went on to discuss the deceptive nature of a recent Big Tobacco practice such as the elevation of the nicotine content of cigarettes. Citing a Harvard study, he pointed out that from 1998 to 2005 some tobacco companies have increased the amount of nicotine in cigarettes by approximately 11 percent, which has the affect of making them more addictive.

An ongoing fight
As there are still 634,000 smokers in the state of Minnesota alone, ClearWay Minnesota knows it continues to be in the midst of a heated battle in which they hold only limited resources.  Funding for the organization will be depleted in approximately 14 years, as the $202 million was a one time deal, on a one-time timeline.
Amidst favorable public anti-smoking sentiment, particularly during the healthcare crisis, ClearWay’s efforts are being ramped up so to limit the tobacco companies abilities to access and appeal to new and existing smokers, now. With smoking costing the state nearly $2 billion a year in health care costs – $8.85 in medical expenses and lost productivity per $5.00 pack – tobacco companies are an easy target for restrictive legislation and taxation.
Of course for every attempt to strike a blow, new products, methods of advertising and alterations to the chemical makeup have proven Big Tobacco adept at the counter-attack.
“It still really is a David and Goliath fight,”  Sheldon said. “As we zig, they zag.”
So it looks as if the zigging and zagging will go on for at least a few more years to come.