FIGHTING BACK IN CONCORD
CONCORD YOUTH & TOBACCO
Concord City Council Acts to Protect Youth from Big Tobacco
On June 13, 2023, the Concord City Council unanimously voted to strengthen its existing tobacco policies. The new laws include many provisions that will protect youth, such as:
-
Ending the sale of most flavored tobacco
-
Ending the sale of all vaping devices
-
Setting a minimum price of $10 for packs of cigarettes, cigars, and cigarillos
-
Setting a minimum pack size of 10 for cigars and cigarillos
-
Not allowing discounts or coupons for tobacco
We are grateful to the young people, community partners, council members, and city staff who worked hard for this public health victory!
This is a significant achievement, but continued vigilance will be needed to ensure that restricted products will not be sold, and that underage youth will be unable to purchase nicotine products at local stores. Let us know if you want to help.
Concord Youth Have Been Targeted by Cheap Tobacco
Cheap Tobacco Products Are Sold In Concord Stores
Convenience stores and other tobacco retailers in Concord sell cheap cigarettes, electronic cigarettes (aka vapes) and cigarillos (some for less than $1). These highly addictive products are designed by the tobacco industry to be attractive, easier to use and more affordable for kids. Over 25% of these stores are within 1,000 feet of a school.
Photo: Donovan Seymour
MDUSD Students Know
Where to Go to Get Tobacco
Half of Mount Diablo Unified School District (MDUSD) juniors say that it’s easy to get cigarettes, and nearly two-thirds (64%) say the same about e-cigarettes. In 2018, 19 of Concord’s 92 tobacco retailers were visited by an underage youth decoy and 7 of the stores sold to them (36.8%). Most underage youth in the U.S. get tobacco from local stores, not online.
© California Department of Public Health
Stock photo. Posed by model.
LGBTQ+ Youth In Concord Use More Tobacco
LGBTQ+ youth feel more stress because of discrimination, which makes them more likely to use tobacco.
Queer MDUSD juniors are more than twice as likely to feel hopeless or always be sad — and 7x more likely to smoke — as other juniors.
E-cigarette use among MDUSD juniors is already disturbingly high at 15%, but the rate among queer youth is higher still: 21%.
The Monument Is Packed With Tobacco Stores Targeting Minority Youth
Racial minority youth feel greater stress from social injustice, and Big Tobacco has been targeting them for decades.
This can be clearly seen in the Monument Corridor, which is more crowded with tobacco stores than anywhere else in Concord. All over the country, areas with more black and brown youth have more tobacco stores closer to schools, greater tobacco discounts, and tobacco advertising easily visible to young kids. The more tobacco ads kids see, the more they use tobacco.
© California Department of Public Health
Many Concord Residents Want to Stop Cheap Tobacco
A 2021-22 LGBTQ Minus Tobacco survey of 121 Concord residents found widespread support for setting a minimum price for tobacco products:
79%
believe Concord should not allow tobacco discounts or coupons
69%
agree Concord should set a minimum price for tobacco products
60%
agree that if Concord sets a minimum price policy, it should make tobacco products like cigars and cigarillos cost at least $10
The solution:
Tobacco Retail Licenses (TRLs) put teeth into tobacco laws by making sure retailers will lose their ability to sell tobacco if they sell to kids. TRLs can also stop the sale of e-cigarettes and flavors; raise prices to make them less affordable for teens; reduce the number of tobacco stores in minority areas and more.
Contra Costa County, and 208 other Bay Area and California cities and counties have Tobacco Retail Licenses that have helped to protect youth from tobacco in their communities.