Blue Cross commissioned research from Ohio State University to calculate the 2021 costs of smoking in Minnesota due to health expenditures and lost productivity. The report, released in early 2024, demonstrates that the costs of smoking remain high.
The HOPE Initiative is designed to advance policies that impact communities disproportionately affected by commercial tobacco. Funded projects will support and advance systems and environmental changes in communities most targeted by the tobacco industry. This initiative collaborates with both organizations and Tribal Nations to continue moving toward our shared goal of eliminating access to and use of commercial tobacco in Minnesota.
