Tobacco Industry Retail Contracts in African American & Low Socioeconomic Communities

Audience:

Tobacco control advocates representing federal, state, and local agencies addressing diverse tobacco control objectives.

Key Points:

The key points include: the impact of tobacco industry retail contracts on product presence/ placement, price, and promotion; retail contract differences amongst various communities; and potential tobacco industry marketing shifts post-FDA tobacco regulation. The key points were developed based upon how the tobacco industry executes, maintains, and monitors tobacco industry contracts in an effort to increase youth access and nicotine addiction. The key points are necessary to counter tobacco industry activities, conduct assessments to expose disparity in assess to tobacco products, and/or communicate point-of-sale education needs, concerns and/or resources.

Educational Experience:

The audience will learn tobacco industry terms and definitions, the tobacco industry's strategy of demographic targeting to minorities, tobacco industry retail contract elements, the overall tobacco retail landscape/culture, the strategic placement of tobacco products, and the general characteristics of tobacco trade channels. The workshop promotes efforts to enforce restrictions on product placement and retail advertising.

Benefits:

A considerable amount of evidence states that tobacco-related disparities are maintained, in part, by point-of-sale advertising; most retail advertisements and displays are required by a tobacco industry retail contract. The tobacco industry has not made retail contracts available for public review; many tobacco control advocates are unaware of tobacco industry contract requirements and their impact on tobacco control efforts. The workshop presenter, former tobacco industry manager, will provide firsthand knowledge of tobacco industry practices to improve tobacco policy, systems, and environmental change at the retail level.