Who's Minding the Store? Promoting Policy Change with Tobacco Retailers

Audience: Community based partnerships and youth advocates working at the local level to limit retail marketing of tobacco through policy change. Key Points: Research has shown that exposure to tobacco marketing in stores is a primary cause of youth smoking. In 2006 tobacco companies spent $1.1 million per day in New York State to market its products. Over 90% is spent in the retail environment. Tobacco companies pay retailers to put their products in the most visible locations in the store: at the point of sale, where they are prominently displayed. In addition, retail surveillance data show that the average number of in-store tobacco ads, tobacco product promotions, and exterior window tobacco ads has increased in New York State since 2004. There are over 23,000 licensed tobacco retailers in New York State, with nearly 10% of these being pharmacies. The 2009 Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act enabled states and local governments to have greater authority in restricting tobacco marketing. The NYS Tobacco Control Program responded by focusing the work of the community partners on tobacco policy change in the retail environment. Educational Experience: Presenters will highlight strategies at the community level addressing tobacco marketing in retail stores: the challenges, approaches to the work, and lessons learned. Benefits: Attendees will leave with skills and information to assess their community’s readiness to pursue policy change of retail tobacco marketing; along with an outline of steps to begin a policy change campaign.