What are the biggest point of sale policy changes and debates we're going to see in the coming year? Here are are our predictions:
1. Tobacco 21 continues to gain momentum and spread across the country
2. The Rise of Vape Shops & Vaping 3. Expanding use of STARS to conduct store audits 4. Healthy Stores – Tobacco + Alcohol + Food + Marijuana +… 5. Battle over Flavors
The Point of Sale Playbook from ChangeLab Solutionsoutlines policy options for regulating how and where tobacco products are marketed and sold, providing strategies for addressing the “four Ps” of tobacco marketing (place, price, product, and promotion). It also provides policy options, examples of their implementation at the local level, and foundational steps for creating a regulatory framework to support POS work. It can also be used in conjunction with ChangeLab Solutions’ Tobacco Retailer Licensing Playbook, which describes the steps necessary for developing, implementing, and enforcing a comprehensive tobacco retailer licensing policy.
Did you know? CounterTobacco.org has a searchable archive of the CDC's Office on Smoking and Health's point of sale webinar series on our site here (password: retailer density). There you'll find a recording of the webinar on using the Tobacco Retailer Licensing Playbook, too!
More News, Research, and Resources
CounterTobacco.org's latest "News and Research Roundup,"a monthly summary of the latest POS research, reports, and policy news is out. Highlights:
News in the Battle of Flavor
St. Paul, Minnesota follows its twin city Minneapolis in restricting flavored tobacco products and flavored e-cigarettes to specialty tobacco shops only (and raises the minimum price for cigars!) Read more.
Nearly 70% of middle and high school students were exposed to e-cigarette advertisements in 2014, and exposure was highest in the retail setting. This exposure to advertising may contribute to increased e-cigarette use among youth, indicating the need for strategies to regulate youth-oriented e-cigarette marketing and youth access where tobacco products are sold.
Youth more frequently exposed to tobacco promotion are 1.6 times as likely to have tried smoking and are 1.3 times as likely to be susceptible for future smoking compared to youth less frequently exposed to tobacco promotion. This indicates that bans on tobacco promotion would be effective in reducing smoking initiation and rates among youth. Learn more about policies to restrict tobacco advertising and promotion.
