The 131st Annual Meeting (November 15-19, 2003) of APHA

Abstract #72680

Randy Kline, JD, Technical Assistance Legal Center, Public Health Institute, 505 14th Street, Suite 810, Oakland, CA 94612, 510-444-8252, rkline@phi.org

This presentation will look at some of the innovative legal tools available to communities wishing to reduce youth access to tobacco. Local governments can control the conduct and location of tobacco retailers using relatively commonplace land use controls (e.g. zoning and conditional use permits). Similar restrictions can even be imposed through a comprehensive tobacco retailer licensing program. These tools are especially promising in regulating where and even if discount tobacco retailers can locate in a community to ensure they are not near youth-oriented areas such as schools, parks, playgrounds, etc. They can also be used to control the total number of all tobacco retailers in a city and/or to control the density of tobacco retailers in a particular neighborhood. Beyond regulating the location of tobacco retailers, both land use and licensing can provide a powerful mechanism for enforcing all tobacco control laws. The author will share some of the experiences of an increasing number of local communities that successfully restricted the location of tobacco stores.

Learning Objectives:

• Describe two legal tools that can restrict the location and unethical retailing practices of tobacco stores as well as increase enforcement of youth tobacco access laws.

Keywords: Tobacco Legislation, Tobacco Policy

Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.