The Surgeon General has concluded that tobacco industry advertisements and promotions cause the onset and continuation of smoking among adolescents and young adults. Based on these findings, local policies and approaches to reduce point-of-purchase advertising and promotions have increased [1]. However, the tobacco industry and its partners work diligently to prevent the passage of these types of policies. One common strategy used to blockade localities from enacting progressive POS policies is to convince retailers and the general public that tobacco POS restrictions will have a significant negative impact on the economy.

Initiatives, such as the National Association of Tobacco Outlet’s (NATO) Local Project, strive to undermine POS policies in order to “protect” the economic interests of small retailers. In 2012 alone, the NATO local project targeted over 50 local tobacco control-focused ordinances and due to its involvement, 66% of these ordinances either were not passed or were watered down [2].

Despite tobacco industry claims, research shows that progressive POS policies do not pose negative long term effects to the overall retail economy. For more information on typical economic arguments against tobacco POS policies and what the research says, read Counter Tobacco’s article “Rebutting Economic Arguments Against POS.”

References:

1. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The Health Consequences of Smoking—50 Years of Progress: A Report of the Surgeon General. Atlanta, GA: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Office on Smoking and Health, 2014.

2. “2012 Year in Review.” NATO. N.p., 28 Dec 2012. Web. 21 Jan 2014. <http://www.natocentral.org/?p=2101>.