Big Tobacco Targets Diverse Communities

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Big Tobacco Targets Diverse Communities

Tobacco is a social justice issue. The tobacco industry continues to aggressively target California’s diverse communities with its dangerous products – on social media, in print and at the retail counter.1

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Why Should You Care?

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Tobacco Retailers Near Schools

Lower income neighborhoods typically have more tobacco retailers near schools in comparison to other neighborhoods.2

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Black Communities Targeted

Studies show there are up to 10x more tobacco ads, particularly for menthol cigarettes, in neighborhoods where people mostly identify as African American/Black. Big Tobacco has targeted these neighborhood for years.1, 3

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#1 Cause of Preventable Death

Addressing tobacco-related health inequities is key to California’s efforts to fight tobacco, our state’s number one cause of preventable death and disease.1


  1. “A Story of Inequity.” Tobacco Free CA, 26 Mar. 2021, tobaccofreeca.com/story-of-inequity/ [↩] [↩] [↩]
  2. “A Story of Inequity.” Tobacco Free CA, 26 Mar. 2021, tobaccofreeca.com/story-of-inequity/ [↩]
  3. Anderson, 2016 ; Moreland-Russel, 2013; Rising 2011; Disparities and Menthol Marketing, Additional Evidence in Support of Point of Sale Policies International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health — Open Access Journal [↩]