Policy
Policy Reports and Guidelines | Organizations | Toolkits
A Broken Promise to Our Children: Annual report on state tobacco control spending
Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, American Heart Association, American Cancer Society, American Lung Association. This annual report assesses whether the states are keeping their promise to use a significant portion of their tobacco settlement proceeds to fund programs to reduce tobacco use.
Ending the Tobacco Problem: A Blueprint for the Nation
Institute of Medicine, 2007. This report reviews effective prevention and treatment interventions, as well as a set of new tobacco control policies for adoption by federal and state governments. The report also identifies the benefits to society when effective tobacco control interventions and policies are fully implemented. Among other suggestions, the IOM recommends increasing excise taxes, implementing smoking bans in all nonresidential indoor settings, restricting tobacco marketing, and granting the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) the authority to regulate the production and sale of tobacco products.
Fundamentals of Smokefree Workplace Laws
Americans for Nonsmokers’ Rights, 2009. This is a comprehensive guide to best practices for smokefree workplace campaigns. The Fundamentals of Smokefree Workplace Laws contains guiding principles for developing, enacting, and implementing effective smokefree air laws. These guidelines are based on the experiences and lessons learned from tobacco control advocates throughout the country over several decades.
Model Ordinance: 100% Smokefree Workplaces and Public Places
Americans for Nonsmokers’ Rights. This model ordinance for 100% smokefree workplaces and public places has been used by hundreds of cities and numerous states. The purpose of the model ordinance is to provide fair and sound language that clearly states the intent and specific points of smokefree policy, fosters clear implementation and enforcement, stands up to legal challenges, and achieves the health goal of protecting people from secondhand smoke. A set of companion documents explains the various sections of the model ordinance, and offers key information about common drafting mistakes and policy pitfalls to avoid.
Model Ordinance for Smokefree Outdoor Areas
Technical Assistance Legal Center. This model ordinance was developed to help California cities and counties limit tobacco use and unwanted exposure to secondhand smoke in outdoor areas. By addressing outdoor tobacco use, this Model Ordinance also helps limit tobacco-related litter.
MPOWER Policy Package
World Health Organization (WHO), 2008. To help countries fulfill the promise of the WHO FCTC, this document presents a policy package that builds on the measures of the WHO FCTC that have been proven to reduce smoking prevalence: Monitor tobacco use; Protect people from tobacco smoke; Offer help to quit tobacco use; Warn about the dangers of tobacco; Enforce bans on tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship; and Raise taxes on tobacco products.
Partnership for Prevention: Tobacco Use
Partnership for Prevention is a membership organization of business, nonprofit organizations and government leaders advancing evidence-based prevention in policies and practices. PFP’s Tobacco Use website contains a number of guides to assist advocacy campaigns for evidence-based tobacco prevention and control policies. PFP sponsors the Action to Quit Network, which works to ensure that all tobacco users have access to comprehensive cessation treatments.
Pick Your Poison: Responses to the Marketing and Sale of Flavored Tobacco Products
Tobacco Control Legal Consortium (TCLC), 2009. This document provides an overview of policy and legal approaches for addressing the marketing and sale of fruit-, alcohol- and candy-flavored tobacco products to youth.
RWJF Interactive Tobacco Map
Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. This interactive map from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation gives policymakers and advocates a nationwide picture of continuing state efforts on key tobacco control policies. This tool provides state-by-state breakdowns on smoke-free laws, cigarette tax rates and total tobacco control spending. The map is updated as new information becomes available.
Saving Lives, Saving Money Tobacco Control Policy Reports
American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS-CAN). These two state-by state reports measure the health and economic benefits of enacting strong tobacco control policies. The reports quantify lives saved, reduction in smokers and health costs saved in each state from implementing comprehensive smoke-free laws or tobacco tax increases. The results provide advocates and lawmakers with concrete evidence that smoke-free laws and tobacco taxes save lives and save money.
Smoke-free Policy Lists Maps, and Data
Americans for Nonsmokers’ Rights Foundation. This website is updated quarterly with lists and maps of U.S. municipalities and states with smoke-free laws in effect, as well as information on restrictions on youth access to tobacco, tobacco advertising and promotion restrictions, tobacco excise taxes, and conditional use permits.
State of Tobacco Control Annual Report
American Lung Association. The annual State of Tobacco Control report grades federal and state tobacco control policy in several key areas: tobacco prevention spending, smokefree air, tobacco tax, and cessation coverage. The grades reflect how well a state’s tobacco control laws measure up to the best in the nation or goals set by federal agencies such as the CDC.
State Legislated Action on Tobacco Issues (SLATI)
American Lung Association. This comprehensive guide to state tobacco control laws is published annually. The online version is regularly updated with information about new tobacco-related laws in all fifty states and the District of Columbia. Users can search the entire database for various elements of state tobacco policies and print out individual state reports. A clickable map of the U.S. gives an instant snapshot of tobacco control laws anywhere in the country.
Tobacco Prevention and Policy Tool
American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), Julius B. Richmond Center of Excellence. This interactive web-based tool describes policy strategies that support prevention of youth tobacco initiation, reduction in secondhand smoke exposure, and support for cessation. Pediatricians, other healthcare professionals, and advocates who are interested in focusing their policy and advocacy efforts on secondhand smoke and tobacco control at the practice, school, community, state, or national levels can discover innovative strategies by exploring the tool.
WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC)
World Health Organization. The WHO FCTC is an international health treaty for tobacco control. The document includes proposed measures to reduce tobacco demand and supply, information about environmental protection, questions related to liability, and information about tobacco-related research.
WHO Reports on the Global Tobacco Epidemic
World Health Organization (WHO) Tobacco Free Initiative. This is a series of reports on the status of global tobacco control policy implementation. The reports describe the evidence base for each of the six MPOWER tobacco control measures and the level of countries' achievement of these interventions.
WHO Study Group on Tobacco Product Regulation (TobReg)
TobReg is an advisory group that provides the World Health Organization with scientifically sound recommendations to Member States addressing the most effective and evidence-based means in order to fill regulatory gaps in tobacco control and achieve a coordinated regulatory framework for tobacco products. TobReg is composed of scientists in the fields of product regulation and laboratory analysis of tobacco contents, emissions, and design features. The TobReg website includes reports and recommendations from this advisory group.
Related resource:
- Best Practices for Comprehensive Tobacco Control Programs
- Making the Business Case for Smoking Cessation
Legal Resource Center for Tobacco Regulation, Litigation and Advocacy
University of Maryland, School of Law. The Legal Resource Center for Tobacco Regulation, Litigation, and Advocacy is dedicated to giving legal support to communities, community groups, employers, local governments, and others wishing to reduce smoking, the sale of tobacco products to children, and the dangerous health effects of tobacco products.
Public Health Law Center
William Mitchell College of Law. The Public Health Law Center provides legal technical assistance, analysis, coordination and training to public health professionals, lawyers and health advocacy organizations across the country. As the field of public health law has grown, the Center has expanded from tobacco laws to include healthy eating, obesity prevention, worker wellness, and legal training for non-attorney health professionals.
- Tobacco Law Center
The Public Health Law Center’s tobacco control attorneys serve as the preeminent legal resource on tobacco law in Minnesota. The Tobacco Law Center offers information on the most effective legal and policy measures that health leaders and policymakers can take to control the epidemic of tobacco use.
- Tobacco Control Legal Consortium
Launched by the Tobacco Law Center and other legal centers, the Tobacco Control Legal Consortium is a national network supporting tobacco control policy change by giving advocates better access to legal expertise. The Consortium’s team of legal and policy specialists provides assistance in designing, enacting and implementing laws that are evidence-based, workable, effective and legally sound.
Public Health Law Network
The Public Health Law Network connects professionals, delivers technical assistance and provides training to help public health practitioners; local, tribal, state and federal officials; lawyers; policy-makers; and public health advocates apply the law to improve public health. Organizations and individuals committed to applying the law to improve public health can join the Network.
Smoke-Free Environments Law Project
The Center for Social Gerontology. The Smoke-Free Environments Law Project is a project which provides information, consultation and advice for businesses, local units of government, and individuals on policies and practices to protect employees and the general public from the harmful effects of secondhand smoke (SHS) and to address the legal requirements and liability issues related to SHS. While SFELP is a law project serving just Michigan, much of the information on this site is relevant to all states.
Technical Assistance Legal Center
Public Health Law & Policy. Funded by the California Department of Health Services, the Technical Assistance Legal Center (TALC) is a clearinghouse on tobacco policy issues, a place for "one-stop shopping" for solid legal advice. TALC provides free legal technical assistance on the following tobacco control policies: advertising restrictions; retailer licensing; self-service display bans; community event sponsorship by the tobacco industry; the Master Settlement Agreement (MSA); zoning restrictions on tobacco retailers; divestment of public and other funds from tobacco stock; legal options for those affected by smoke in apartment buildings; and other issues upon request.
See also: American Legacy Foundation, Americans for Nonsmokers’ Rights, American Public Health Association, Association of State and Territorial Health Officials, Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, Food and Drug Administration, National Association of Local Boards of Health, National Conference of State Legislators, North American Quitline Consortium, Public Health Advocacy Institute Tobacco Control Resource Center
Addressing Tobacco Pricing Policies: A Toolkit for Tobacco Control Program Managers
Tobacco Technical Assistance Consortium, 2010. Research shows that increasing tobacco prices is one of the most effective approaches for decreasing tobacco consumption, especially among youth. Recognizing that every state and territory has its own unique political culture and environment, this kit contains a collection of tools that will provide tobacco control program professionals practical support to strengthen tobacco pricing policy.
Developing Smokefree Implementation Regulations
Tobacco Technical Assistance Consortium (TTAC), 2009. Developing Smokefree Implementation Regulations (DSIR) is a web-based toolkit funded by a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Rapid Response Grant administered by the Americans for Nonsmokers’ Rights. DSIR was developed to help health departments and others in the public health community draft and adopt regulations to implement smokefree laws. The website includes examples of effective state and local implementation language, model implementation and enforcement rules, an introduction to public health rulemaking, and an overview of smokefree policy for lawyers. A printable companion guide is available as a supplement to the DSIR website.
Going Smokefree: Toolkit for Implementing Smoke-Free Laws
Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Americans for Nonsmokers’ Rights, Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids. This web-based toolkit was designed to support states preparing to implement smokefree air policies, containing tips, tools and resources. The site contains sample media materials, signage, mailers and other materials that can be easily replicated.
Implementing a Tobacco-Free Campus Initiative in Your Workplace
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. This toolkit provides guidance for implementing a tobacco-free campus (TFC) initiative that includes a policy and comprehensive cessation services for employees. It is based on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's experience with implementing the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Tobacco-Free HHS initiative.
North American Quitline Consortium Policy Playbook
North American Quitline Consortium (NAQC), 2008. This resource promotes the availability of quitline services as more and more smoke-free laws and tobacco taxes are implemented nationwide. The toolkit is intended to complement the policy-oriented Toolkit for Implementing Smoke-free Laws. The NAQC Policy Playbook offers information to raise awareness among policymakers about the role of quitlines as smoke-free policies are implemented. The playbook is also a resource to inform the quitline community of the tools available in the Toolkit for Implementing Smoke-free Laws and the steps for successfully implementing smoke-free policies.
Protect Local Control: Ensuring Community Rights To Pass Smokefree Ordinances
Americans for Nonsmokers’ Rights. This website explains the importance of local control in passing and enforcing smokefree ordinances. Among the resources on the website are factsheets and reports, including a regularly updated map that illustrates which states have complete preemption and partial preemption, and which states are (thus far) not preempted. The resources also include grassroots advocacy materials and sample media for preemption campaigns.
Toolkit for Implementing and Defending Smoke-Free Ordinances
Clearway Minnesota, 2007. This toolkit, designed for communities that have passed smoke-free policies, provides standardized surveillance measures and methods to use to assess and monitor the impact of local smoke-free ordinances. The toolkit's resources are divided into six categories: 1) compliance and enforcement, 2) public opinion, 3) economic impact, 4) indoor air quality, 5) health effects, and 6) smoking cessation. Although created for Minnesota communities, the process and tools can be adapted and used in any local community.
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