Studying the Business Community's Innovations in Tobacco Policy

Background: Tobacco control has been advanced through mandatory local and state policies, including smoke-free laws and taxation of tobacco. However, even without legal mandates, many businesses have implemented voluntary tobacco-related policies, including restaurants in areas without smoke-free laws that ban smoking and grocery stores that have discontinued tobacco sales. This is notable, since the business community frequently has supported the tobacco industry, sharing industry interests in decreasing regulation while protecting profits and marketing freedoms. This development suggests that some businesses no longer consider their interests to align with those of the tobacco industry. Such voluntary initiatives may also inspire other businesses to follow suit, or may represent the vanguard of readiness for public policy change. However, no previous studies have examined this emerging phenomenon. Methods: Using a multiple case study design that included interviews with business owners, focus groups with customers, and review of media coverage, this study explored why businesses undertake such policies. Findings: Preliminary findings suggest that an interest in the community's health is an important motivation for ending tobacco sales. Local coverage of retailers' decision to end tobacco sales is typically positive, but retailers generally do not advertise their new tobacco-free policy. As a result, many focus group participants were unaware of the change. Nonetheless, they supported ending sales, viewing it as a means of discouraging smoking. Implications of the findings for tobacco control policy advocacy will be considered, and ideas for positioning novel public health research to increase its competitiveness for funding will be discussed.