Youth Initiation

Tobacco marketing drives youth experimentation with tobacco and transition to regular use. In fact, exposure to this marketing in community stores is correlated with higher rates of youth tobacco use. Further, tobacco products sold in smaller, cheaper packages and with youth-appealing flavors promote youth initiation and unwitting addiction. Communities may combat youth tobacco use by regulating where and how tobacco may be sold (see our resources in Point of Sale Policies). For more information on the role retail tobacco marketing plays in recruiting youth users, visit our resources below.

Resources:

Flavors Drive Youth Tobacco Use
Infographic showing how flavors drive youth tobacco experimentation and progression to regular use.

Cause and Effect: Tobacco Marketing Increases Youth Tobacco Use
Excerpts from the 2012 Surgeon General's Report highlighting the effect of tobacco marketing on youth tobacco use, accompanied by evidence-based policy solutions to reduce youth exposure to tobacco marketing.

Retail Stores as Recruitment Centers for Youth Smokers
Fact sheet describing the impact on youth of pervasive tobacco product marketing in the retail environment.

Reducing Youth Exposure to Tobacco Marketing: Options for Local Governments in New York
Report exploring policies to reduce exposure to tobacco marketing at the point of sale through comprehensive licensing, zoning and board of health rules.