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The Truth About the Tobacco Industry and the Retail Environment

This report reviews the science around marketing in the retail environment and the massive impact it has on driving tobacco use

U.S. retail sales data show 86% of e-cigarette sales are for illegal products

New research from Truth Initiative finds that the overwhelming majority – more than 86 percent – of e-cigarettes on the market are illegal products.

New study: 43% of underage e-cigarette users report getting their e-cigarettes from retail sources

Many underage young people are getting e-cigarettes from retailers like vape shops, gas stations, and convenience stores

Stop & Shop halts sales of all tobacco products, encourages people to quit

With its announcement, Stop & Shop joins retailers like CVS and Rite Aid in efforts to promote healthy living and combat tobacco and nicotine addiction.<

Youth vaping declines during pandemic as young people report less retail and social access to products

Vaping among young people dropped amid the COVID-19 pandemic as young people reported less retail and social access to e-cigarettes, according to new Truth I

Where we stand: Retail tobacco marketing, price discounting and promotion

Consistent with Truth Initiative’s vision of a future where tobacco is a thing of the past, we support the following policies with regard to tobacco retail m

How some local governments are keeping the number of tobacco retailers in check

Measures to restrict tobacco retailer licensing and density are one way to combat the impact of tobacco point-of-sale marketing.

After-school smoke? The problem with tobacco retailers near schools

More than three-quarters of public schools are within a 10-minute walk of at least one outlet selling tobacco.

Who sells cigarettes? The tobacco-free status of major retailers

See which of these five major retailers like Target, CVS, and Walmart still sell cigarettes and which have tobacco-free shelves.

FDA enforcement likely resulting in minimal impact on e-cigarette accessibility

New study finds that nearly all warning letters sent during the timeframe targeted small, online retailers, likely resulting in minimal impact on e-cigarette

A toxic, plastic problem: E-cigarette waste and the environment

With a 399.73% increase in retail e-cigarette sales from 2015 through 2020, the environmental consequences of e-cigarette waste are enormous.

THE TOBACCO INDUSTRY AND THE RETAIL ENVIRONMENT

Tobacco companies rely on the retail environment to reach both current and future customers by advertising their products and normalizing the presence of tobacco products in everyday life. The tobacco industry spends nearly $1 million per hour on marketing tobacco products in the retail environment, and it works - when discounts and promotions are advertised in stores, tobacco product sales go up by as much as 30%.

Learn more about the tobacco retail environment in the sections below or read the full report.