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The tobacco industry is destroying the people and places we love.

And they spend billions to convince us it’s normal.1

THE DAMAGE
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OUR CAMPAIGNS

The Little Big Lie

Cigarette butts are made of microplastics2 – tiny toxic fibers that can contaminate our food chain3 and could make their way to you.45

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OUR CAMPAIGNS

Flavors Hook Kids

Teens are 7x more likely than adults to vape,67 and 96% of them use flavors.8

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OUR CAMPAIGNS

We Are Not Profit

For too long the tobacco industry has been strategically killing the Black community with menthol cigarettes.910

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“I was 13 the first time I vaped ... a lot of people post on their Snapchat stories or on Instagram of them vaping.”

Naomi — Concord, CA

Tobacco industry’s damage

The tobacco industry currently spends billions each year on slick marketing tactics11 and political influence12 so they can profit off death and disease.
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Even for people who don’t use tobacco, there can be deadly consequences.13
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The industry calls kids their “replacement customers.”14 Big Tobacco sentences them to a lifetime of addiction and disease.
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This racist and unjust industry has strategically targeted certain communities with deadly products and manipulative messaging.15
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No one’s safe from the environmental damage16 and health risks1718192021 from toxic tobacco waste and its plastic pollution.22
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Who we are

As a California Department of Public Health program, we’ve been taking on the tobacco industry since 1988. We work to undo the tobacco industry’s influence, protect the environment, and have saved the lives of more than 1 million Californians – and counting.

Our work

In the news

How Big Tobacco used George Floyd and Eric Garner to stoke fear among Black smokers
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Cigarette butts are toxic plastic pollution. Should they be banned?
National Geographic logo
Puff, puff pass: a new vape with hazy origins takes JUUL's place
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FDA says more than 5 million electronic cigarettes must be taken off the market
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Times of San Diego: E-Cigarettes Alter Body’s Organs, UC San Diego Research Team Finds
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Edge Media Network: Big Tobacco' Companies Leave Legacy of High LGBTQ Smoking Rates
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In a First, California Plans to Clean Up Microplastics
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Microplastics in the human body: What we know and don't know
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FDA considers banning menthol cigarettes
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FDA proposes ban on menthol cigarettes and flavored cigars
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Hold the industry accountable

California has already protected people from other harmful products,2324 and it’s time to hold the tobacco industry to the same standards.

More ways to tell the industry you’ve had enough
  1. Federal Trade Commission. Federal Trade Commission Cigarette Report for 2020. Washington, D.C.: Federal Trade Commission. 2021.
  2. Belzagui F, Buscio V, Gutiérrez-Bouzán C, Vilaseca M. Cigarette butts as a microfiber source with a microplastic level of concern. Science of The Total Environment. 2021;762:144165. doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.144165.
  3. Smith M, Love DC, Rochman CM, Neff RA. Microplastics in Seafood and the Implications for Human Health. Curr Environ Health Rep. 2018;5(3):375-386. doi:10.1007/s40572-018-0206-z.
  4. Schwabl P, Köppel S, Königshofer P, et al. Detection of Various Microplastics in Human Stool: A Prospective Case Series. Ann Intern Med. 2019;171(7):453-457. doi:10.7326/M19-0618.
  5. Cox KD, Covernton GA, Davies HL, Dower JF, Juanes F, Dudas SE. Human Consumption of Microplastics [published correction appears in Environ Sci Technol. 2020 Sep 1;54(17):10974]. Environ Sci Technol. 2019;53(12):7068-7074. doi:10.1021/acs.est.9b01517.
  6. Mirbolouk M, Charkhchi P, Kianoush S, et al. Prevalence and Distribution of E-Cigarette Use Among U.S. Adults: Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, 2016. Ann Intern Med. 2018;169(7):429-438. doi:10.7326/M17-3440.
  7. Gentzke AS, Creamer M, Cullen KA, et al. Vital Signs: Tobacco Product Use Among Middle and High School Students — United States, 2011–2018. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2019;68(6):157-164. doi:10.15585/mmwr.mm6806e1.
  8. Zhu S-H, Braden K, Zhuang Y-L, Braden K, Gamst A, Cole AG, Wolfson T, Li S. (2021). Results of the Statewide 2019-20 California Student Tobacco Survey. San Diego, California: Center for Research and Intervention in Tobacco Control (CRITC), University of California San Diego.
  9. Anderson SJ. Marketing of menthol cigarettes and consumer perceptions: a review of tobacco industry documents. Tob Control. 2011;20 Suppl 2(Suppl_2):ii20-ii28. doi:10.1136/tc.2010.041939.
  10. Robinson RG, Sutton CD, James DA, Orleans CT. Pathways to Freedom: Winning the Fight against Tobacco. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Atlanta, GA; 2003.
  11. Federal Trade Commission. Federal Trade Commission Cigarette Report for 2020. Washington, D.C.: Federal Trade Commission. 2021.
  12. OpenSecrets. Industry Profile: Tobacco. Opensecrets.org. https://www.opensecrets.org/federal-lobbying/industries/summary?cycle=2021&id=A02. Accessed March 16, 2022.
  13. Office on Smoking and Health (US). The Health Consequences of Involuntary Exposure to Tobacco Smoke: A Report of the Surgeon General. Atlanta (GA): Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (US); 2006.
  14. RJ Reynolds. Younger Adult Smokers: Strategies and Opportunities. https://www.industrydocuments.ucsf.edu/docs/rkvk0045. 1984 February 29.
  15. Anderson SJ. Marketing of menthol cigarettes and consumer perceptions: a review of tobacco industry documents. Tob Control. 2011;20 Suppl 2(Suppl_2):ii20-ii28. doi:10.1136/tc.2010.041939.
  16. Break Free From Plastic. Branded Vol. III: Demanding corporate accountability for plastic pollution. 2020.
  17. Poma A, Vecchiotti G, Colafarina S, et al. In Vitro Genotoxicity of Polystyrene Nanoparticles on the Human Fibroblast Hs27 Cell Line. Nanomaterials (Basel). 2019;9(9):1299. Published 2019 Sep 11. doi:10.3390/nano9091299.
  18. Zarus GM, Muianga C, Hunter CM, Pappas RS. A review of data for quantifying human exposures to micro and nanoplastics and potential health risks. Sci Total Environ. 2021;756:144010. doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.144010.
  19. Jacob H, Besson M, Swarzenski PW, Lecchini D, Metian M. Effects of Virgin Micro- and Nanoplastics on Fish: Trends, Meta-Analysis, and Perspectives. Environ Sci Technol. 2020;54(8):4733-4745. doi:10.1021/acs.est.9b05995
  20. Ziv-Gal A, Flaws JA. Evidence for bisphenol A-induced female infertility: a review (2007-2016). Fertil Steril. 2016;106(4):827-856. doi:10.1016/j.fertnstert.2016.06.027.
  21. Campanale C, Massarelli C, Savino I, Locaputo V, Uricchio VF. A Detailed Review Study on Potential Effects of Microplastics and Additives of Concern on Human Health. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2020;17(4):1212. Published 2020 Feb 13. doi:10.3390/ijerph17041212.
  22. Belzagui F, Buscio V, Gutiérrez-Bouzán C, Vilaseca M. Cigarette butts as a microfiber source with a microplastic level of concern. Science of The Total Environment. 2021;762:144165. doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.144165.
  23. Governor Newsom Signs Legislation Making California First in the Nation to Ban Toxic Chemicals in Cosmetics [press release]. gov.ca.gov. https://www.gov.ca.gov/2020/09/30/governor-newsom-signs-legislation-making-california-first-in-the-nation-to-ban-toxic-chemicals-in-cosmetics/. Published September 30, 2020. Accessed March 23, 2022.
  24. Landmark California law bans 'forever chemicals' in products for infants, children [press release]. ewg.org. https://www.ewg.org/news-insights/news-release/2021/10/landmark-california-law-bans-forever-chemicals-products-infants. Published October 5, 2021. Accessed March 23, 2022.
  25. World Health Organization. Tobacco and its environmental impact: an overview. Geneva: World Health.
  26. Organization;2017.
  27. Belzagui F, Buscio V, Gutiérrez-Bouzán C, Vilaseca M. Cigarette butts as a microfiber source with a microplastic level of concern. Science of The Total Environment. 2021;762:144165. doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.144165.