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Cigarette smoking is down sharply in the United States since the 1960s, according to the 

. Still, 19 percent of adults in America are smokers, leading to more than 393,000 deaths from smoking every year.

Various levels of government employ cigarette taxes, smoking bans and insurance breaks for nonsmokers to encourage an end to tobacco use. In New Zealand, the government has gone even further and committed to making the country 

 doing on anti-tobacco efforts? The American Lung Association gives it a mixed report card. The state received an A for smoke-free air, but F's for tobacco prevention and cessation.

Dr. Richard Hurt, director of the Nicotine Dependence Center at the Mayo Clinic, and Erika Seward, a vice president at the American Lung Association, join The Daily Circuit to talk about what governments can and should be doing about smoking.

Tobacco tax increase may give lift to e-cigarettes



"An increase in Minnesota's cigarette tax is giving a boost to electronic cigarettes as an alternative to traditional smoking. The number of Twin Cities shops selling the 'e-cigs,' as they are called, has been rising, and shop owners credit the $1.60-a-pack tax increase that goes into effect July 1 for expanding interest." (MPR News)

U of M set to enact smoking ban for Twin Cities campus



"A tobacco-free campus has become an expectation ... rather than an innovation," President Eric Kaler was quoted as saying after the University Senate voted in favor of a smoking ban. "It's about time for us." (MPR News)

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About 19 percent of American adults are smokers. The government can encourage an end to tobacco use with cigarette taxes and smoking bans, but elsewhere, officials are taking it a step further: New Zealand has committed to being smoke free by 2025.

Beyond smoking bans, New Zealand envisions being cigarette-free

Tobacco Bill Nears Passage, FDA Set To Gain Regula

Beyond smoking bans, New Zealand envisions being cigarette-free

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