Tobacco companies spend approximately 90% of their marketing dollars on point-of-sale promotion and price discounts. They invest billions at the point-of-sale because they know this type of marketing attracts the form of new, young customers who, because of the powerful addictive properties of nicotine, are likely to be life-long tobacco users.
According to the Surgeon General’s 2012 report:
- Tobacco use is a “pediatric epidemic”.
- Tobacco marketing in stores is a primary cause of youth smoking.
- Each day across the United States over 3,800 youth under 18 years of age start smoking.
- Among adults who become daily smokers, nearly all first use of cigarettes occurs by 18 years of age (88%), with 99% of first use by 26 years of age.
- Exposing the developing brain to nicotine has been shown to alter its structure and function in a way that introduces long-lasting vulnerability for addiction to nicotine and other substances of abuse.
- Most young smokers become adult smokers. One half of adult smokers die prematurely from tobacco-related diseases.
Policy as a Solution
To protect our children, and support adults who want to end their addiction to nicotine and quit using tobacco, our state must reduce exposure to in-store tobacco marketing. Nicotine is a highly addictive substance and repeated exposure to tobacco marketing creates curiosity among impressionable youth and unnecessary triggers for those trying to quit.
Policy options available to protect youth and support adults include:
- Requiring tobacco products be kept out of customer view
- Restricting the number, type, and location of Tobacco Retailers
- Reduce density – number of tobacco retailers
- Restrict tobacco retailing within proximity of schools
- Restrict Product Flavors
- Restrict the availability of all flavored products, both conventional and electronic, to remove menthol, mint, and child-friendly flavors, such as fruit or candy
It has been a known statistic that the black community has been disproportionately affected by smoking and Big Tobacco. This is something that American Lung Assocation and TACFL tries to bring awareness to. It is a perfect time bring awareness to the issue as we are at the beginning of Black History Month.Here are a couple of staggering facts about smoking and the Black community.
-Despite historically starting later and smoking fewer cigarettes per day than white Americans, Black Americans are more likely to be diagnosed with and more likely to die from tobacco-related cancer.
-Black men are more likely to develop and more likely to die from lung cancer than their white counterparts.
For #BlackHistoryMonth, we ask that you join us in urging President Biden to finish the rules to end menthol cigarette and flavored cigar sales in the U.S. at a.lung.org/ZgMuHgD. ... See MoreSee Less
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Timeline photosAre you struggling to stay quit? Make time every #QuitMonday to check in on your progress and use our Weekly Check-in Tool to find resources to help you stay motivated no matter what stage of quitting smoking you're in. Try the free tool at: ow.ly/TUfk50MwcCi ... See MoreSee Less
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The American Lung Assocation continues to implement and provide some fantastic tobacco cessation programs. Not on Tobacco (NOT) and Freedom From Smoking are two examples, alongside the newly launched ACT youth focused cessation training. Check out the post below from American Lung Association or our most previous post for more great information on those programs.Go Tobacco-Free in ‘23! We offer resources to help adults and teens to quit all tobacco products.
Freedom From Smoking: Helps individuals create their own quit plan while as providing tips and techniques to stay successful in the long run. on.lung.org/2XpL71A
Not-On-Tobacco® (N-O-T) is a teen smoking/chewing/vaping cessation program for teens who want to quit. on.lung.org/39vJked ... See MoreSee Less
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