ABSTRACT
Government has been heavily involved in tobacco control efforts, particularly at the federal and state levels. This chapter outlines federal involvement in tobacco control, and then move to an in-depth examination of state government involvement in tobacco control. Examples of direct regulatory action include Federal Trade Commission restrictions on cigarette advertising issued in 1955 and 1960, the 1965 passage of the Cigarette Labelling and Advertising Act and Interstate Commerce Commission restrictions on smoking on common carriers issued in 1974 and 1976. Regulations issued in 1996 implementing the "Synar Amendment" require states to demonstrate higher levels of enforcement of minimum-age-of-sale laws for tobacco. In Minnesota, three state agencies have been active in tobacco control efforts: the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH), the Minnesota Attorney General (AG), and the Minnesota Department of Human Services (MDHS). The staff of the center began doing groundwork on the epidemiology and economics of smoking in the state and methods for preventing or controlling smoking.
