Teens smoke cigarillos more than cigarettes, at least partially because cigarillos are so much cheaper – under $1! Over 100 studies have shown that raising tobacco prices lowers teen smoking and inspires many smokers to quit. While discussing the evidence that price increases in 1982-83 had kept 600,000 teens from becoming smokers and convinced two million adults to quit, one tobacco executive wrote: “We don’t need to have that happen again.” The Surgeon General recommends a $10 minimum price for cigarettes, and a growing number of communities require minimum prices for cigars and/or cigarettes.

Federal law requires a minimum pack size of 20 for cigarettes to stop stores from selling single cigarettes (“loosies”) that make tobacco easier to get, but cigars are exempted. Single cigars are sold in local stores for well under $1, and packs of 2-6 cigars are nearly as cheap. For this reason, minimum pack size requirements are more effective when combined with minimum price policies.

Big Tobacco spends over $7 billion dollars a year to keep tobacco prices low, including over $300 million on coupons. They don’t spend all that money for no reason. Access to tobacco coupons makes youth more likely to become addicted and current smokers more likely to keep smoking. More communities are discovering that not allowing coupons, together with minimum prices and pack sizes, is an effective way to stop every manipulative pricing strategy tobacco companies use to attract youth and keep smokers addicted.

By now it is no secret that e-cigarettes (aka: vapes) are a major problem among underage youth. 20% of high school students use them, and disposable varieties, that sell for just a few dollars, are increasingly popular with teens. Youth who use e-cigarettes are much more likely to eventually try cigarettes – especially those who would not have smoked otherwise. For every smoker who uses e-cigarettes to attempt to quit, 80 youth become addicted to them. The vast majority of youth who use e-cigarettes get them from local stores. 31 cities and counties in the Bay Area have chosen to stop the sale of these very addictive products to protect their kids.

California voters recently approved a law that ends the sale of many flavored tobacco products that youth prefer, including menthol cigarettes. However, exceptions were made for hookah, some cigars, and pipe tobacco. Youth who use hookah are more likely to try other tobacco and marijuana, but hookah continues to be sold in many communities with flavors like Aloha Mango, Blueberry Muffin, and Passionfruit Sangria. Over 120 cities and counties in California include hookah in their flavored policies.

Low-income often minority areas have higher smoking rates, more tobacco retailers, cheaper prices, more cigarillo and menthol ads, and more advertising in areas clearly visible to young kids. Many communities are not allowing new tobacco retailers in these oversaturated areas; and requiring stores that sell tobacco to be 1,000 feet away from each other, schools and other areas where youth gather. Existing stores that violate these limits are allowed to continue to sell tobacco, but they cannot transfer their TRL to a new owner.

CVS and Target have recognized that selling tobacco products is inconsistent with the sale of medicine, while all other chain businesses that contain pharmacies continue to sell tobacco, often right next to FDA-approved products that help smokers quit. Some pharmacies are also selling tobacco to underage youth. (8% of pharmacies did so in 2018.) Nearly fifty California cities and counties have recognized the importance of keeping pharmacies free of tobacco and have included that requirement in their TRL.

Cities and counties are recognizing that allowing home delivery, or curbside pickup, of tobacco products increases the risk of youth access, and are not allowing those practices by local businesses in their communities.

The purpose of a Tobacco Retail License is to keep owners of tobacco retail outlets from selling to underage youth and reduce youth access to addictive tobacco products – not to punish teens for tobacco use. To ensure equitable practices, TRLs include a “Purchase, Use, Possession” (PUP) provision requiring that no youth will be penalized in any way for buying, having or using tobacco. Evidence also shows that penalizing youth for tobacco use is ineffective at keeping them away from tobacco.