Counter Tobacco Podcast

In this episode, we're talking about the largest monetary settlements in the tobacco prevention and control field since the Master Settlement Agreement in 1998, which was 25 years ago. Starting in 2021, Juul, the company known for leading the way in addicting an entire generation of youth to nicotine through its targeted marketing and wide array of flavors, began settling with states' Attorneys Ge...

In this episode, we're talking about the corrective statement signs that tobacco companies are currently being required to post at the point of sale. These signs are part of the results of a court case decision from 2006 that convicted major tobacco companies of racketeering – for a decades-long conspiracy to deliberately mislead the public about the health risks of smoking and secondhand smoke an...

In this episode, we're talking about the environmental impact of commercial tobacco products. Despite not typically being at the forefront of commercial tobacco prevention and control efforts, now more so than ever, it is paramount to understand how commercial tobacco products negatively impact our environment. You'll hear about the manufacturing of tobacco, the use of non-biodegradable cigarette...

In this episode, we are talking about advocacy through the eyes of youth. On May 16-19th, youth groups and organizations from around the country came together in-person in Washington D.C. to meet each other, participate in activities, learn more about the tobacco industry, and rally against one of the largest tobacco companies, Altria. One of these groups is Reality Check out of New York, who orga...

In this episode, we're taking a look into the future! Each January, we make some predictions about the top trends in retail tobacco prevention and control work to pay attention to. In this episode, we walk you through each of our 8 categories of focus for 2023. They are: a focus on health equity in pos tobacco control comprehensive bans on the sale of flavored tobacco products tobacco retailer lic...

In this episode, we're talking about contracts between tobacco retailers and tobacco companies and their impact on the retail environment with our guest, Allie Reimold, MA. Allie is a doctoral student in the Department of Health Behavior at the UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health. She studies how the private sector creates retail environments that ultimately impact chronic disease. Her cur...

In this episode, we're talking all about preemption. Earlier this year, along with our partners at ChangeLab Solutions, we published a resource on this topic called the Tobacco Point of Sale Preemption Playbook . It equips tobacco prevention staff and their partners with the knowledge, context, and resources needed to understand how preemption influences their work. In this episode, we talk throug...

In this episode, we provide a primer on tobacco-related Assurance of Voluntary Compliance (AVC), which are legally binding and enforceable agreements between companies (i.e. big tobacco retailers) and one or more states (under each state attorneys general) in which the retailer agrees to adhere to certain standards and practices to reflect their commitment to the responsible marketing of tobacco p...

Store assessments are visits to retail tobacco stores to document and collect data on what tobacco products are being sold and how they are being marketed and promoted in your community. In this episode, learn both why and how to conduct them, as well as how the data you collect can be used.

In this episode, we talk about point-of-sale pricing policies, meaning ways to raise the price of tobacco sold in retail stores. Raising prices is one of the most effective ways to reduce tobacco use initiation, decrease consumption, and increase cessation. Learn how point-of-sale pricing policies, including minimum floor prices and bans on price discounts and coupon redemption, can complement tax...

In this episode, we talk about nicotine pouches like "Zyn" and other so-called "modern" oral nicotine products, how they are being marketed and sold in the retail environment, and options for regulating this small but rapidly growing product segment, with concerns about youth initiation in mind. 

Endgame strategies have been defined as, "initiatives designed to change/eliminate permanently the structural, political, and social dynamics that sustain the tobacco epidemic, in order to end it within a specific time," and moving towards the endgame means, "moving beyond tobacco control (which assumes the continued presence of tobacco as a common, widely-available ordinary consumer product) towa...

In this episode, we talk with Natasha Phelps, a Lead Senior Staff Attorney at the Public Health Law Center, about the recent statement on "Decriminalizing Commercial Tobacco: Addressing Systemic Racism in the Enforcement of Commercial Tobacco Control" that was released last year by a consortium of public health organizations. We take a deeper dive into that statement, discussing the values outline...

In this episode, we talk with Dr. Amanda Kong, one of the authors of a recent paper "Boosting the Tobacco Control Vaccine: recognizing the role of the retail environment in addressing tobacco use and disparities." We discuss how key retail strategies, including addressing product availability, pricing and promotions, advertising and display, the minimum age of sale, and retail licensure can comple...

This episode is all about working towards health equity with point-of-sale tobacco control. We'll discuss some of the drivers behind inequities in tobacco use and related morbidities and mortality, and how we can use a pro-equity approach to plan, implement, and enforce policies that allow all individuals and all communities a fair and just opportunity to achieve their greatest level of health.

On Your Radar' is a new episode format designed to put the most relevant and recent news stories and research on countering tobacco product sales, promotions, and marketing in the retail environment on your radar . This episode spotlights flavor bans. From the West Coast (California) to the Midwest (Edina and Fridley, MN & Chicago, IL), we've got you covered on the most recent news surrounding res...

"On Your Radar" is a new episode format, where we release two mini-episodes – one halfway through the month, one at the end of the month – that provide you with the most recent and relevant news stories and research on countering tobacco product sales, promotions, and marketing in the retail environment. Listen to Part 2 to learn what has happened in point-of-sale tobacco control in the second hal...

"On Your Radar" is a new episode format, where we release two mini-episodes - one halfway through the month, one at the end of the month - that provide you with the most recent and relevant news stories and research on countering tobacco product sales, promotions, and marketing in the retail environment. Listen to Part 1 to learn what has happened in point-of-sale tobacco control in the beginning...

This episode is designed to answer all your questions about heated tobacco products, or as the industry refers to them, "heat-not-burn" products. This episode covers their design and safety, assesses their marketing and current regulation, examines a bit of the newer research and literature on the products, explains the FDA's 'modified risk' label authorization for the IQOS Heated Tobacco System,...

This episode is the first in what we hope will be a new series called, 'Authentic Voices', where we speak with individuals in communities across the US to hear how their lived experiences and interactions in the retail environment impacted their journey with tobacco. In this episode, we speak with Shaun Pryor, a Chicago-native and Oklahoma-transplant who is an outspoken advocate against Big Tobacc...

Pharmacies are licensed healthcare facilities uniquely positioned to provide healthcare services and health advice directly to community members across the US. Yet, many pharmacies still widely promote and sell tobacco products, the leading cause of preventable disease and death in this country. This episode focuses entirely on tobacco-free pharmacies. We'll hone in on evidence-backed research, di...

Tobacco retail licenses (TRLs) are one of the most lasting and effective strategies in tobacco control. In addition to letting states and localities know who is selling tobacco, licensing is an evidence-based way to reduce tobacco use; it also offers a versatile regulatory platform that allows jurisdictions to implement additional policies that can further reduce tobacco use and reduce disparities...

The tobacco industry spends over $9 billion dollars each year marketing cigarettes and smokeless tobacco in the United States. This episode dives into the ways in which the industry allocates this exorbitant amount of money to target communities of low socioeconomic status, and examines how the industry's manipulative tactics impact disparities in tobacco use and tobacco-related morbidity and mort...

Over the past few months, we've seen a lot of changes to the regulatory environment surrounding tobacco products. This episode highlights the new federal flavor ban and Tobacco 21 law, as well as what some states and local jurisdictions have done to advance tobacco control and what your locality could do to support strong tobacco control.    

In this episode, we speak with Counter Tools' new Executive Director, Maria Julian. Learn about her visions for the future of Counter Tools and Counter Tobacco.org and hear what she thinks we should be on the lookout for in tobacco control this upcoming year.