Tobacco Regulation and Products

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In 2009, we won a hard-fought campaign that led to Congress passing a law granting the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) the authority to regulate all tobacco products, including cigarettes, e-cigarettes, cigars and hookah. Yet, it took the FDA seven years to begin their oversight of many of these products with much more work left to be done. 

Recent spikes in the use of e-cigarettes makes clear that more must be done to regulate tobacco products and the industry's deceptive marketing practices.  We are working to ensure the government fully leverages the regulatory power it now possesses to protect children and adults. 

Tobacco use costs our nation nearly $300 billion in health care and productivity losses each year.

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Protect our Children from Big Tobacco

The tobacco industry has preyed upon young people by marketing products that appeal to kids.

Latest Updates

March 24, 2025
Montana

HELENA, Mont. –– Cancer patients, survivors, caregivers and advocates from throughout the state called on lawmakers Monday to honor the Montana Clean Indoor Air Act and kill Senate Bill 150, which would allow cigar smoking in restaurants, bars and gaming facilities that are currently smoke-free. State polling shows that 89%

March 12, 2025
Oregon

SALEM, Oregon —— Jane Leo has been named the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN) Government Relations Director for Oregon. She will lead ACS CAN’s efforts to advance legislation and public policies to reduce the cancer burden, specifically ending the sale of flavored and menthol tobacco in her

January 21, 2025
Oregon

SALEM, Ore. –– On the first day of the 2025 Oregon Legislature, advocates of the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network call on lawmakers to finish the job and end the sale of menthol cigarettes and all other flavored tobacco products. Big Tobacco continues to use flavors to target its

January 15, 2025
National

Today, the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) released a proposed rule to reduce nicotine levels in cigarettes and certain other combusted tobacco products to minimally additive or nonaddictive levels.

Tobacco Regulation and Products Resources

When faced with mounting evidence that tobacco tax increases effectively reduce tobacco use, tobacco manufacturers will try to distract policymakers from the material facts by invoking dire warnings of reduced revenue due to increased illicit activity including widespread smuggling and other organized crime that they claim will result from increased taxes on cigarettes and other tobacco products.

The American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN) supports a comprehensive approach to tobacco control that includes significantly increasing excise taxes on all forms of tobacco. Regular, significant excise tax increases of $1.00 or more per pack of cigarettes are one of the most effective ways to prevent kids from starting to use cigarettes and to help adults quit. Tobacco excise taxes can also reduce tobacco-related health disparities among people with limited incomes, pregnant persons and among racial and ethnic populations.

 

The U.S. Surgeon General declared youth e-cigarette use to be an epidemic. E-cigarettes are the most used tobacco product among youth and, like any tobacco product, are unsafe. E-cigarette use is also most common among younger adults. Action is urgently needed to reverse these dangerous trends.