Tobacco Regulation and Products

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In 2009, we won a hard-fought campaign that led to Congress passing a law granting the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) the authority to regulate all tobacco products, including cigarettes, e-cigarettes, cigars and hookah. Yet, it took the FDA seven years to begin their oversight of many of these products with much more work left to be done. 

Recent spikes in the use of e-cigarettes makes clear that more must be done to regulate tobacco products and the industry's deceptive marketing practices.  We are working to ensure the government fully leverages the regulatory power it now possesses to protect children and adults. 

Tobacco use costs our nation nearly $300 billion in health care and productivity losses each year.

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Protect our Children from Big Tobacco

The tobacco industry has preyed upon young people by marketing products that appeal to kids.

Latest Updates

April 2, 2025
National

Today, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled unanimously that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) followed the law in issuing marketing denial orders (MDOs) for certain flavored e-cigarette products.

April 1, 2025
New Hampshire

The decision to cut funding to our state tobacco control program is an extremely costly and unnecessary road to take. Any short-term savings are dwarfed by the staggering toll tobacco use takes on our economy and our health care.

April 1, 2025
Oregon

SALEM, Oregon –– Cancer patients, survivors, teen advocates and others from throughout Oregon asked legislators on Tuesday to stop the tobacco industry from targeting our kids by passing Senate Bill 702 and ending flavored tobacco and menthol sales. “We have to take common-sense action to curb youth tobacco use,” American

March 24, 2025
Montana

HELENA, Mont. –– Cancer patients, survivors, caregivers and advocates from throughout the state called on lawmakers Monday to honor the Montana Clean Indoor Air Act and kill Senate Bill 150, which would allow cigar smoking in restaurants, bars and gaming facilities that are currently smoke-free. State polling shows that 89%

Tobacco Regulation and Products Resources

For decades, tobacco companies have used flavors, in cigarettes, cigars, e-cigarettes, hookah, to lure and target youth and young people and expose them to a lifetime of nicotine addiction, disease, and premature death. Flavors, especially menthol, are known to improve the ease and use of a product by masking the tobacco’s harsh effects. ACS CAN urges lawmakers to protect public health, not Big Tobacco’s profits, by passing comprehensive tobacco control policies that apply to all tobacco products.

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.

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.