United States: 57% of adults support tobacco ban

A study indicates that a majority of adults in the United States support a planned ban on tobacco sales. Nearly two-thirds of respondents also support a ban on menthol cigarettes.

Conducted from March to mid-April 2021 among 6,455 people over the age of 18, a study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reveals that 57% of American adults say they are in favor of banning the sale of all tobacco products.[1]. Nearly two thirds of these respondents (62 %) also declared themselves in favour of banning menthol cigarettes.

Large majority in favour of banning tobacco and menthol tobacco

The socio-demographic analysis indicates that those most in favour of these two bans are above all women, the most highly educated and those with the highest incomes – data consistent with those of other national studies. Smoking status is also a determining factor, since 61% non-smokers want a ban on tobacco products and almost two-thirds want a ban on menthol cigarettes, while smokers are respectively a quarter and a third in this case.

This study does have some limitations, however, including limitations of representativeness due to online surveys. The level (national, state, local) at which the bans would apply could also have an impact on responses, as several states and localities have already enacted such bans, particularly for menthol cigarettes.

Cigarette manufacturers' double talk on risk reduction

In an online op-ed, Howard Koh and Michael Fiore, two public health professors, cite the CDC study as one of the arguments in favor of significantly restricting access to tobacco products.[2]They also point out the contradictions in the discourse of manufacturers, who advocate a risk reduction strategy while continuing to sell cigarettes and oppose public health measures.

Altria – which markets Marlboro in the United States – has just followed the path traced by Philip Morris International (PMI) and British American Tobacco (BAT), and now intends to transform itself “from a tobacco company to a tobacco harm reduction company”[3]By trying to invest massively in the health sector, tobacco multinationals hope to sell solutions to the problems they themselves have created, while acknowledging, like BAT, that they "know that combustible products pose serious health problems"The long-term safety of tobacco and nicotine products presented as being lower risk remains very uncertain, however, and their value in smoking cessation is still debated.

Despite their stated intentions in favour of products with lower health risks, these tobacco majors also continue to obstruct the implementation of public health measures. For example, Altria opposed bans on menthol and flavored cigars, as well as the new standard for ultra-low nicotine cigarettes. BAT subsidiary RJ Reynolds has tried to prevent the ban on flavors in California, and bypassed this ban by launching new menthol products once its appeal is dismissed. Rather than stop selling cigarettes, as the majority of the population wants, these companies prefer to give a reassuring message and continue to sell highly addictive products, regardless of their toxicity, in order to renew their customer base.

Keywords: United States, CDC, BAT, Altria, PMI.

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[1] Al-Shawaf M, Grooms KN, Mahoney M, Buchanan Lunsford N, Lawrence Kittner D. Support for Policies to Prohibit the Sale of Menthol Cigarettes and All Tobacco Products Among Adults, 2021. Prev Chronic Dis 2023; 20:220128. DOI: https://doi.org/10.5888/pcd20.220128.

[2] Moving Beyond Smoking, Altria, accessed March 27, 2023.

[3] Koh HK, Fiore M, Tobacco companies pledge 'harm reduction' but are doing the opposite, StatNews, published March 21, 2023, accessed March 27, 2023.