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Tobacco Control

ACS CAN supports a comprehensive approach to reducing tobacco use and exposure to secondhand smoke, including increasing taxes on all tobacco products, implementing comprehensive smoke-free laws, fully funding and sustaining evidence-based, statewide tobacco control programs, ensuring access to clinical cessation services and working with the Food and Drug Administration to regulate tobacco products and their marketing.

Tobacco Control Resources:

History of the Racketeering Lawsuit Against the Tobacco Industry: Guilty of Deceiving the American Public

November 8, 2024

In 1999, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) filed a lawsuit against major tobacco manufacturers Philip Morris USA, R.J. Reynolds Tobacco, Lorillard, and Altria to hold the industry accountable for more than 50 years of conspiring to defraud the public in violation of the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act. Big Tobacco, an industry which has for decades knowingly addicted and endangered the lives of millions of Americans for their own profit, must now post the truth about their deadly products, including at the point-of-sale (POS) for approximately 220,000 tobacco retailers.

ACS CAN & Federal Tobacco Litigation - An Overview

October 25, 2024

The tobacco industry has a history of using litigation to avoid and delay laws and regulations enacted to safeguard the public. ACS CAN, with our tobacco control partners, has also relied on the courts to hold Big Tobacco accountable and to ensure the federal government is effectively implementing the Tobacco Control Act.

Delayed Implementation of Graphic Warning Labels on Cigarettes Harms Public Health

October 25, 2024

Implementation of graphic warnings in the U.S. has been thwarted by tobacco industry legal challenges. The American Cancer Society (ACS) and the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN), along with our partners, have fought back in the judicial system, using litigation to both compel the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to issue graphic warning regulations and help the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) defend the regulations finalized by FDA.

Fact-Based Tobacco Control Policies: How Does Your State Measure Up?

August 1, 2024

A progress report on state legislative actions to reduce tobacco use and tobacco-related cancer.

Effective Policies Known to Prevent Tobacco Use and Address Tobacco-Related Disparities

July 23, 2024

Tobacco use has been found to be one of the primary drivers of cancer-related health disparities because its use disproportionately impacts people based on race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability status, mental health, income level, education level, and geographic location. Achieving health equity relies heavily on eliminating tobacco use. ACS CAN is pursuing fact-based tobacco control policies at the local, state and federal levels that aim to reduce disparities and improve health outcomes for everyone.

Tobacco Excise Tax Increases: Save Lives. Reduce Health Care Costs. Generate Revenue.

July 23, 2024

The American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN) supports a comprehensive approach to tobacco control that includes significantly increasing excise taxes on all tobacco products to generate revenue, protect kids, and save lives. Significant tobacco tax increases are one of the most effective ways to prevent kids from starting to use tobacco and help adults quit.

The Effect of Smoke-free Policies on Workers’ Health: The Need for Smoke-free Laws

July 9, 2024

Smoke-free policies reduce exposure to secondhand smoke (SHS) in office and non-office worksites. This has been proven by reduced nicotine concentration levels in the bloodstream of the adults who work in these settings.

 

Secondhand Smoke Jeopardizes Worker Health: The Need for Smoke-free Laws

July 9, 2024

More than 40 years after former U.S. Surgeon General Jesse Steinfeld first exposed the potential health risks of secondhand smoke (SHS) in 1971, and nearly 30 years after a subsequent Surgeon General’s report stated that SHS causes lung cancer and other diseases, all U.S. workers still do not have the right to breathe smoke-free air.

Smoke-free Laws: Everyone Has the Right to Breathe Clean, Smoke-free Air

May 31, 2024

ACS CAN advocates for everyone’s right to breathe smoke-free air so that no one is forced to choose between their health and a paycheck. ACS CAN urges state and local officials to pass and protect comprehensive smoke-free laws in all workplaces, including restaurants, bars and gaming facilities.

Regulation and Products Resources:

FDA Action Needed Immediately on Menthol Cigarettes and Flavored Cigars

April 26, 2022

This factsheet provides an overview of key activities by the FDA on menthol cigarettes and flavored cigars.

Tobacco Control Coalition Letter to Congress on Synthetic Nicotine March 2022

March 9, 2022

We write to urge you to respond to a new and growing threat to our nation’s youth: e-cigarette manufacturers’ use of synthetic nicotine to evade Food and Drug Administration (FDA) oversight. E-cigarette manufacturers, including the e-cigarette brand that is most popular with youth, are switching from using tobacco-derived nicotine in their products to synthetic nicotine in order to circumvent tobacco product regulations and to keep flavored e-cigarettes that are attracting and addicting youth on the market. We urge you to quickly address this serious public health situation by enacting legislation at the earliest possible opportunity that enables FDA’s Center for Tobacco Products to regulate synthetic nicotine products.

Tobacco Control Partner Letter to FDA Regarding Synthetic nicotine and Puff Bar March 2021

March 9, 2022

Whether Puff Bar is under the jurisdiction of the Center for Drug Evaluation and Research
(CDER) as a drug or the Center for Tobacco Products (CTP) as a tobacco product, it is critical that
FDA take action and not permit this company and this product to escape regulatory oversight.
Puff Bar has neither been approved as a drug nor received a premarket tobacco product order.
The agency should not allow any perceived regulatory “gap” to enable this company or any
other company to market new addictive nicotine products without going through the legally
required FDA review by either CDER or CTP.

Partner Letter to FDA on Tobacco Product Applications for JUUL

April 27, 2021

Because JUUL’s products continue to have the largest share of the e-cigarette market, and therefore presumably are undergoing expedited review, we write at this time to express our conclusion that based on all of the publicly available evidence, no JUUL product currently on the market can meet the statutory public health standard. Therefore, they should not receive a marketing order.

Letter to Acting FDA Commissioner Requesting Action on Menthol

April 26, 2021

Tobacco Control Partner Supplement to Citizen's Petition on Menthol (2021)

January 14, 2021

The undersigned organizations submit this citizen petition supplement to update the administrative record for this citizen petition with the most recent information on the impact of menthol in cigarettes.

Decriminalizing Commercial Tobacco: Addressing Systemic Racism in the Enforcement of Commercial Tobacco Control

December 9, 2020

This joint statement from a consortium of public health organizations 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.

Tobacco Control Partner letter to FDA Regarding Menthol (2020)

November 9, 2020

The undersigned public health and medical organizations write to urge the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to grant the pending Citizen Petition referenced above and commence the requested rulemaking to prohibit menthol as a characterizing flavor in cigarettes.

FDA Regulation of Tobacco Products: Premarket Review Requirements

October 6, 2020

This factsheet provides a summary of the premarket review requirements and status of FDA's enforcement of the requirements.

Smoke Free Resources:

The Effect of Smoke-free Policies on Workers’ Health: The Need for Smoke-free Laws

July 9, 2024

Smoke-free policies reduce exposure to secondhand smoke (SHS) in office and non-office worksites. This has been proven by reduced nicotine concentration levels in the bloodstream of the adults who work in these settings.

 

Secondhand Smoke Jeopardizes Worker Health: The Need for Smoke-free Laws

July 9, 2024

More than 40 years after former U.S. Surgeon General Jesse Steinfeld first exposed the potential health risks of secondhand smoke (SHS) in 1971, and nearly 30 years after a subsequent Surgeon General’s report stated that SHS causes lung cancer and other diseases, all U.S. workers still do not have the right to breathe smoke-free air.

Smoke-free Laws: Everyone Has the Right to Breathe Clean, Smoke-free Air

May 31, 2024

ACS CAN advocates for everyone’s right to breathe smoke-free air so that no one is forced to choose between their health and a paycheck. ACS CAN urges state and local officials to pass and protect comprehensive smoke-free laws in all workplaces, including restaurants, bars and gaming facilities.

Smoke-Free Policies: Good For Business

May 31, 2024

Research has repeatedly shown that there is no risk-free level of exposure to secondhand smoke (SHS). Smoke-free laws and policies provide immediate and long-term health benefits for both people who smoke and those who do not and are good for businesses and workers.

The Risks of Secondhand Smoke in Casinos

May 30, 2024

Exposure to secondhand smoke (SHS) is an occupational hazard for many casino workers – from dealers to security. But when smoking is permitted in casinos, no one – even patrons – is safe from SHS exposure. Job-related exposure to SHS is a significant, but entirely preventable, cause of premature death among U.S. workers.

 

Prevention and Cessation Resources:

Effective Policies Known to Prevent Tobacco Use and Address Tobacco-Related Disparities

July 23, 2024

Tobacco use has been found to be one of the primary drivers of cancer-related health disparities because its use disproportionately impacts people based on race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability status, mental health, income level, education level, and geographic location. Achieving health equity relies heavily on eliminating tobacco use. ACS CAN is pursuing fact-based tobacco control policies at the local, state and federal levels that aim to reduce disparities and improve health outcomes for everyone.

Smoking-Related Cancer Deaths by State, 2020

April 4, 2024

Tobacco use causes about one-third of cancer deaths in the nation overall, but the burden varies by state.

Increasing Access to FDA-Approved Cessation Medication through Pharmacies

February 6, 2024

Pharmacies can offer an additional opportunity to aid individuals wanting to quit tobacco by providing immediate support and access to FDA-approved cessation medications.

Tobacco Control Partner Comments on OTC Preventive Services RFI

December 4, 2023

Tobacco control partners provided comments on the Request for Information; Coverage of Over-the-Counter Preventative Services (CMS-9891-NC), including three nicotine replacement (NRT) products, which would increase access to effective tobacco cessation medications for adults who want to quit using commerncial tobacco products.

Eliminating Tobacco-Related Disparities through Comprehensive Tobacco Control Policies

April 7, 2023

Tobacco use is one of the primary causes of cancer-related health disparities - disproportionately impacting people by race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability status, mental health, income and education levels, and geographic location. Eliminating health disparities depends heavily on eliminating tobacco use. ACS CAN is pursuing evidence-based policies at the local, state, and federal levels that aim to reduce disparities and improve health outcomes for all individuals.

The Tobacco Industry is Not the Public Health Solution

February 9, 2023

Big tobacco has a history of prioritizing corporate profits over people and communities burdened by tobacco-related illness and death. For decades, the tobacco industry has lied to specific communities and the public at large saying their products are not addictive, harmful or deadly. Tobacco manufacturers continue to create and flood the market with newly designed products they market as being less harmful and alternatives to quitting – a tactic that is not new.

Big Tobacco Targets People with Limited Incomes

January 12, 2023

While overall smoking rates have declined in recent years, smoking rates remain higher among specific populations, including people with limited incomes. These differences are in large part due to the tobacco industry’s targeted marketing through advertising, price discounting and other strategies. Every year the tobacco industry spends $9.1 billion in the United States marketing their deadly and addictive products. 

Big Tobacco Targets the Black Community

December 15, 2022

While overall smoking rates have declined in recent years, smoking rates remain higher among specific subpopulations, including African Americans. These differences are in large part due to the tobacco industry’s targeted marketing through advertising, price discounting and other strategies.

Big Tobacco Targets the LGBTQ+ Community

December 15, 2022

While overall smoking rates have declined in recent years, smoking rates remain higher among specific subpopulations, including the LGBTQ+ community. These differences are in large part due to the tobacco industry’s targeted marketing through advertising, price discounting and other strategies.

Tobacco Taxes Resources:

Tobacco Excise Tax Increases: Save Lives. Reduce Health Care Costs. Generate Revenue.

July 23, 2024

The American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN) supports a comprehensive approach to tobacco control that includes significantly increasing excise taxes on all tobacco products to generate revenue, protect kids, and save lives. Significant tobacco tax increases are one of the most effective ways to prevent kids from starting to use tobacco and help adults quit.

The Importance of Tax Parity for All Tobacco Products

February 15, 2024

Increasing tobacco excise taxes is one of the best ways to reduce overall tobacco use. It is important that when considering an excise tax increase on any tobacco product, including e-cigarettes, that the tax should be increased on all tobacco products at an equivalent rate to encourage people to quit rather than switch to a cheaper product, and prevent youth from starting to use any tobacco product.

 

Despite Industry Claims, Tobacco Taxes Do Not Cause Illicit Trade

February 8, 2024

When faced with mounting evidence that tobacco tax increases effectively reduce tobacco use, tobacco manufacturers will try to distract policymakers from the material facts by invoking dire warnings of reduced revenue due to increased illicit activity including widespread smuggling and other organized crime that they claim will result from increased taxes on cigarettes and other tobacco products.

State Tobacco Tax Increases: Explanations and Sources for Projections of New Revenues & Benefits

January 4, 2024

The economic model developed jointly by the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids (TFK), the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN), and Tobacconomics (a program of the University of Illinois at Chicago) projects the increase in state revenues, public health benefits, and health care cost savings resulting from increases in state cigarette tax rates.  The projections are updated annually.  Calculations are based on economic modeling by Frank Chaloupka, Ph.D., and John Tauras, Ph.D., at the Institute for Health Research and Policy at the University of Illinois at Chicago, Jidong Huang, Ph.D., at Georgia State University, and Michael Pesko, Ph.D., at the University of Missouri.

Cigarette Tax Increases of $1.00+ Per Pack Ensure Public Health Impact

July 7, 2023

The American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN) supports a comprehensive approach to tobacco control that includes significantly increasing excise taxes on all forms of tobacco. Regular, significant excise tax increases of $1.00 or more per pack of cigarettes are one of the most effective ways to prevent kids from starting to use cigarettes and to help adults quit. Tobacco excise taxes can also reduce tobacco-related health disparities among people with limited incomes, pregnant persons and among racial and ethnic populations.

 

Tobacco Excise Taxes Improve the Health of People with Limited Incomes

April 20, 2023

Tobacco excise taxes benefit people with limited incomes and reduce tobacco-related health disparities, especially when tobacco excise tax revenues are dedicated to cessation programs that serve people with limited incomes.