When Florida’s Stores are the Front Lines of Tobacco Control ................

Released bu tje Washington County Tobacco Free Partnership

We as Floridians are encountering something that kills an average of three Floridians an hour, every hour of every day. It’s being colorfully promoted and is readily available at a place you visit frequently – your local convenience store or gas station. It’s tobacco products like cigarettes, dip and chew. And tobacco companies spend billions of dollars a year to market these addictive products at the “point of sale” – retail locations where tobacco products are sold.

An estimated 32,300 Floridians die from smoking-related illnesses each year and tobacco use remains the leading cause of preventable death in the nation and in our state. Tobacco companies increased their advertising dollars at the point of sale by more than 42 percent in just one year. When it comes to recruiting new youth to use tobacco, studies show this tactic has been effective – the likelihood of starting can more than double for youth who visit a store with point-of-sale tobacco ads at least twice a week.

Tobacco executives view youth as “replacement smokers,” the next generation of customers replacing those lost by the leading cause of preventable death in our state and our nation. To attract new youth smokers the tobacco industry continues to evolve the market with new products, such as electronic cigarettes (or “e-cigarettes”).

Many e-cigarettes contain nicotine, which is addictive, and have a variety of harmful chemicals. They are also marketed by promoting flavors, including many that are especially appealing to youth. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration recently sent warning letters to 17 manufacturers, distributors and retailers that were selling nicotine-containing e-liquids with labeling or advertising resembling kid-friendly food products, such as juice boxes, candy or cookies that were identified as being false or misleading . Since then, all 17 companies have stopped selling those products. According to the 2016 Surgeon General’s Report on e-cigarette use among youth and young adults, more than 85 percent of e-cigarette users ages 12-17 used flavored e-cigarettes, and flavors were the leading reason for youth use.

The front line in the ongoing work to save these lives is at the point of sale. What is the Washington County Health Department doing to counter act the millions of dollars being spent marketing cigarettes and other tobacco products, often at retail locations directly next to our schools?

The Washington County Tobacco Prevention Program in collaboration with the Tobacco Free Partnership has taken various measures to educate the community on the marketing tactics used by Big Tobacco. With the rise of e-cigarettes, the Tobacco Free Partnership and the Tobacco Prevention Program have worked to educate local retailers on the Assurance Voluntary Compliance (AVC). This is a step to remind retailers of the law when it comes to selling tobacco products. Retailers are reminded that they are to check identification to ensure they are not selling to minors. In addition to AVC compliance, an assessment of product placement and advertisement has been conducted. This is to raise awareness of how Big Tobacco markets products at Point of Sale.

Washington County Tobacco Free Partnership member Milton Brown stated, “Big Tobacco’s latest product of electronic nicotine device system (ENDS) has created an E-Epidemic within schools all over. It is important we educate the community on the dangers of these products and that we remind our retailers of the laws regarding the selling of tobacco products.”

Students Working Against Tobacco (SWAT) member Rianne Anderson said, “as a youth it is hard to see others around me being tricked into Big Tobacco’s tactics. The biggest problem among the youth is the vaping and how they are not properly informed of the dangers of what vaping does.”

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Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Best Practices for Comprehensive Tobacco Control Programs—2014. Atlanta: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Office on Smoking and Health, 2014.

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The Health Consequences of Smoking—50 Years of Progress: A Report of the Surgeon General. Atlanta: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Office on Smoking and Health, 2014 [accessed 2018 June 25].
“Federal Trade Commission Cigarette Report for 2016,” FTC.gov. Federal Trade Commission, 2018.

https://www.ftc.gov/system/files/documents/reports/federal-trade-commission-cigarette-report-2016-federal-trade-commission-smokeless-tobacco-report/ftc_cigarette_report_for_2016_0.pdf [accessed 2018 August 8.]
Henriksen, L, et al., “A longitudinal study of exposure to retail cigarette advertising and smoking initiation,” Pediatrics126:232-238, 2010. http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/pediatrics/126/2/232.full.pdf?download=true.

Tobacco Company Quotes on Marketing to Kids. https://www.tobaccofreekids.org/assets/factsheets/0114.pdf. Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids. [Accessed 2018 August 15.]

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. E-Cigarette Use Among Youth and Young Adults. A Report of the Surgeon General. Atlanta, GA: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Office on Smoking and Health, 2016.

Felberbaum, Michael. “Press Announcements – Companies Cease Sales of e-Liquids with Labeling or Advertising That Resembled Kid-Friendly Foods Following FDA, FTC Warnings.” U S Food and Drug Administration Home Page, Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, 23 Aug. 2018, www.fda.gov/NewsEvents/Newsroom/PressAnnouncements/ucm618169.htm.