Feasibility and Impact of Local Retail Tobacco Policy in the United States: Views From Research and Practice

Retail tobacco policymaking is increasing in the United States. This is due, in part, to increased recognition that greater tobacco retail density is associated with higher commercial tobacco product use rates and contributes to health disparities. Tobacco control practitioners, researchers, and attorneys were asked their thoughts on the feasibility and impact of 10 retail tobacco policies at the local level in the US. Policies included, for example, capping the number of tobacco retail licenses in communities, setting minimum distance requirements between tobacco retail locations, and flavored tobacco product sales prohibitions. Respondents were asked to give ratings on six dimensions: overall effectiveness, legal feasibility, political feasibility, economic impact, equity impact, and ease of enforcement. Fifty-one professionals responded, and 40 of them had more than 5 years of experience in tobacco control work. Legal feasibility and equity impact were rated highest across policies, and political feasibility the lowest. Ending all tobacco sales received the lowest average ratings across dimensions of feasibility and impact. Establishing tobacco retail licensing programs with fees received the highest average ratings across dimensions of feasibility and impact. The high ratings for licensing with fees can help support localities considering implementing this foundational policy, which increases knowledge of the pervasiveness of tobacco retail locations, allows for self-funded enforcement of existing laws, and can be combined with other policies that address tobacco retail density, prices, and products. Researchers and practitioners alike can focus on identifying strategies to address the lack of local political will for certain tobacco retail policies.