New! Decriminalizing Commercial Tobacco – Addressing Systemic Racism in the Enforcement of Commercia

A consortium of public health organizations prepared a joint statement that sets forth aspirational principles to help local and state health departments, decisionmakers, advocates, and other stakeholders advance equitable enforcement practices related to the purchase, possession, sale, and distribution of all tobacco products. These principles can also help address tobacco addiction and reduce tobacco-related harms while maintaining and improving the efficacy of enforcement of commercial tobacco laws and policies.
 
Despite an overall decline in the prevalence of tobacco use, not all populations are equally protected by the laws, policies, and resources that are intended to reduce tobacco use and tobacco-related harm. Tobacco industry documents reveal how disparities in the burden of tobacco-related disease and death outcomes among certain communities are no coincidence. On the contrary, the tobacco industry strategically markets and perniciously targets its deadly products in underserved communities.  As a result, certain racial and ethnic communities, low-income communities, and LGBTQ+ communities, among others, are exposed to more point-of-sale advertising, live in places with a greater concentration of retailers that sell tobacco products, and have a higher prevalence of tobacco use.
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