PHOENIX — Nearly three in four Arizona voters support establishing a licensing structure for retailers wanting to sell tobacco products, including e-cigarettes, according to a new poll.
The American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network of Arizona proposed the question on a survey conducted by OH Predictive Insights to 900 registered voters across the political spectrum, and each demographic group surveyed responded in favor of requiring tobacco retailers to apply for licenses.
“Arizona lawmakers need to listen to their constituents when they get back to work in January and recognize that tobacco retail licensing is key to keeping these deadly products out of our children’s hands,” said ACS CAN Arizona Director of Government Relations Brian Hummell. “If retailers were licensed, state regulators would finally know where tobacco products are sold and be able to effectively hold accountable bad actors who sell them to kids.”
Tobacco licensing laws can be an effective tobacco control tool to aid in the enforcement of tobacco control laws and can be used to limit the number or location of stores, limiting product placement and reducing the impact of point-of-sale advertising. Big Tobacco spends over $114 million on marketing in Arizona every year.
“With 2,000 Arizonan kids becoming new daily smokers every year, the Legislature must act quickly,” Hummell said. “Tobacco retail licensing, with effective and meaningful enforcement, should be a priority for the 2020 session.”
Important highlights from the survey include:
This survey question was conducted via an opt-in online panel by OH Predictive Insights between Oct. 31, 2019, and Nov. 8, 2019, among self-qualified Arizona registered voters. The sample demographics accurately reflect Arizona registered voters by region, party affiliation, gender and age. The sample size was 900 completed surveys, with an MoE of ± 3.27%. Numbers may not total 100% due to rounding.