Most Americans Support Progressive Tobacco Sales Ban: CDC Study

A new study by the Smoking and Health Office of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) shows that most Americans support a gradual phasing out of the sale of all tobacco products.

According to data from an online survey of American adults aged 18 or older in 2021 (N=6,455),...

A policy to ban the sale of menthol cigarettes is supported by 62.3% of adults, according to a CDC research report. The report also notes that roughly two-thirds of respondents who currently do not use tobacco products and more than one-third of those who currently use tobacco products (including menthol cigarettes) support the policy.

A policy to ban the sale of all tobacco products is supported by 57.3% of adults, according to a research brief. The brief clarifies that over 61% of respondents who do not currently use tobacco products and approximately one-fourth of those who currently use tobacco products support this policy.

Laurent Huber, director of the Health and Action on Smoking and Health (ASH), stated that his organization welcomes the strong support of Americans who recognize the deadly and unnecessary losses caused by tobacco products to our families, communities, and nation. He also called for the advancement of global tobacco endgame policies.

Cigarettes are the only consumer product that is deadly when used exactly as intended by the manufacturer - they cause widespread harm and death without the need for misuse or excessive use. Allowing the sale of tobacco products has no benefit to our society, and more jurisdictions are taking action to remove them from store shelves.

The policy of gradually stopping tobacco sales, commonly referred to as tobacco endgame, can take on many forms, including:

Reducing the nicotine content in cigarettes to a non-addictive level, similar to what is being done in New Zealand and explored by the US FDA.

It is proposed to prohibit the sale of tobacco to anyone born after a certain date, effectively raising the age for purchasing tobacco products by one year annually, as has been done in New Zealand and Brookline, Massachusetts (commonly referred to as the tobacco or smoke-free generation).

Gradually phasing out tobacco retail licenses.

The use of filter tips in cigarettes is being banned, just as ASH and its partners are working towards achieving through the UN plastic pollution treaty currently under negotiation this year.

According to Laurent Huber of ASH, political will is often the reason for delays in tobacco control policy implementation. However, there is strong scientific evidence to support such policies and the public is also strongly in favor, as demonstrated by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

ASH is encouraging more jurisdictions to follow the lead of Beverly Hills and Manhattan Beach in California and gradually cease the sale of tobacco products, prioritizing citizens' health.