Public Policy Resources

Share

The Tobacco Industry is Not the Public Health Solution

February 9, 2023

Big tobacco has a history of prioritizing corporate profits over people and communities burdened by tobacco-related illness and death.[i] Tobacco industry marketing strategies have led to disparities in tobacco use, including higher use of tobacco products in limited-income communities, among people of color and individuals who identify as LGBTQ+.[ii] For example, tobacco industry memos revealed a 1990s R.J. Reynolds cigarette marketing plan, known as “Project Subculture Urban Marketing,” that targeted marketing at gay men and individuals experiencing homelessness in San Francisco.[iii] For decades, the tobacco industry has lied to specific communities and the public at large saying their products are not addictive, harmful or deadly. Tobacco manufacturers continue to create and flood the market with newly designed products they market as being less harmful and alternatives to quitting – a tactic that is not new.

 

[i] Tobacco Control Legal Consortium, The Verdict Is In: Findings from United States v. Philip Morris, The Hazards of Smoking (2006). Retrieved from https://publichealthlawcenter.org/sites/default/files/resources/tclc-ver....

[ii] Stevens P, Carlson LM, Hinman JM. An Analysis of Tobacco Industry Marketing to Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) Populations: Strategies for Mainstream Tobacco Control and Prevention. Health Promotion Practice. 2004;5(3_suppl):129S-134S. doi:10.1177/1524839904264617.

[iii] Washington HA. Burning Love: big tobacco takes aim at LGBT youths. Am J Public Health. 2002 Jul;92(7):1086-95. doi: 10.2105/ajph.92.7.1086. PMID: 12084686; PMCID: PMC3222279.

PDF icon The Tobacco Industry is Not the Public Health Solution FINAL 2.09.23

Related Resources

March 9, 2026

Tobacco Control Partners Comment Letter to FDA on Zyn's Modified Risk Tobacco Product Applications

American Academy of Pediatrics, American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network, American Heart Association, American Lung Association, and Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids
oppose orders authorizing this claim because Swedish Match has failed to meet the statutory standard for the following reasons:
1. FDA’s past authorizations of a similar claim for General Snus should not determine whether the pending applications for ZYN nicotine pouches are granted because the
Tobacco Control Act requires product-specific analyses.
2. Significant differences between ZYN and General Snus – in use rates, relevant toxicology, flavors, and marketing – clearly warrant different consideration.
3. The applicant’s reliance on the “Swedish experience” is misleading and of limited relevance.
4. The applicant did not submit sufficient data on consumer perception or behavior change related to the proposed modified risk claim and this specific product.

Read More

An Open Letter to the Walt Disney Company from 150 Organizations in the U.S. and Worldwide: Ask Formula 1 to End All Tobacco Company Sponsorships

March 9, 2026

We are writing with regard to the Walt Disney Company’s partnership with Formula 1 that is increasing the visibility of the sport with your brand’s enormous youth audience. As organizations committed to protecting the health of our children, we are deeply concerned that tobacco companies are also partnering with Formula 1 teams to reach this youth audience with marketing for their harmful and addictive products.

Read more

An Open Letter to Mattel from 150 Organizations in the U.S. and Worldwide: Ask Formula 1 to End All Tobacco Company Sponsorships

March 9, 2026

We are writing with regard to Mattel’s partnership with Formula 1 that is increasing the visibility of the sport with the Hot Wheels brand’s enormous youth audience. As organizations committed to protecting the health of our children, we are deeply concerned that tobacco companies are also partnering with Formula 1 teams to reach this youth audience with marketing for their harmful and addictive products.

Read more