Commercial Tobacco Use
Youth E-cigarette Prevention and Cessation Initiative

The 2021 Minnesota Legislature appropriated funds for the Minnesota Department of Health to administer the Youth E-cigarette Prevention and Cessation Initiative (youth initiative) to address youth vaping in Minnesota. The initiative includes community grants, statewide technical assistance and training, coordinated counter-marketing campaigns, and other efforts to engage youth.

This initiative aims to reduce youth commercial tobacco use in Minnesota by 25% by 2026.

On this page:
Community grants
Counter-marketing campaigns
Room to Breathe Youth Advisory Council
Room to Breathe Youth Conference

Community Grants

The youth initiative’s grant program helps reduce vaping, smoking, and other commercial tobacco use among young people. It supports organizations that work directly with young people to:

• Raise awareness about the risks of commercial tobacco use, like vaping
• Promote healthy choices through peer-to-peer education
• Build youth leadership skills
• Support mental wellbeing as part of commercial tobacco prevention

Grantees use existing youth programs to create lasting changes in their communities — like updating local policies, improving practices, and creating healthier environments. They also take part in local and statewide campaigns to spread the word and broaden impact of the youth initiative overall.

Grantees include:

• Association for Nonsmokers – Minnesota
• Horizon Public Health
• Indigenous Peoples Task Force
• Lincoln Park Children and Families Collaborative
• myHealth for Teens & Young Adults
• Northfield Healthy Community Initiative
• Olmsted County Public Health Services
• Sierra Leone Community in Minnesota
• Something Cool, Inc
• Steele County Public Health

Counter-marketing campaigns

The youth initiative includes multiple counter-marketing campaigns to engage youth as essential partners and raise awareness and change social norms around vaping and the use of other commercial tobacco products. These campaigns also promote mental wellbeing and tools to help youth quit.

Learn more: Youth Counter-Marketing Campaigns