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A California without Big Tobacco isn’t just possible, it’s already happening

Two California cities have ended the sale of tobacco products12

See our progress
A hip Korean woman wearing orange-tinted sunglasses sits in her car with her arms draped over the steering wheel
Coach Sanchez standing in front of his young players to talk about vaping
Tran My, an older businesswoman, stands in her restaurant
“

I don’t sell vapes. No profit is worth that ugliness.”

MARIA — LOS ANGELES, CA

A convenience store owner protects her family and her neighborhood by not selling vapes.

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“

Big Tobacco is targeting us. So we’re targeting them back.”

LAYLA, GALIA, and LIZZIE — SAN DIEGO, CA

Three high schoolers channel their outrage about nicotine harms into anti-tobacco advocacy.

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“

I started vaping to try to deal with stress. I quit because of my son.”

ISAIAH — LOS ANGELES, CA

A young soldier started vaping to try to cope with stress in the military – and quit to be a better role model for his son.

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“

We tackled vaping head-on. It’s the only way we know.”

COACH SANCHEZ — REDDING, CA

When Coach Sanchez learned his players were vaping, he recruited their families to help raise the standards on and off the field.

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Featured campaigns

Big Tobacco’s Fantasyland

The tobacco and nicotine industry promises vaping is “safer.”1112 Yet they can contain cancer-causing chemicals like arsenic, lead, and formaldehyde.1314151617181920212223242526 Time to wake up.

Uncover their nicotine nightmare
Featured campaigns

Exhale

As two cities end tobacco sales, and smoking and lung cancer rates drop, a California without Big Tobacco is already happening.12345

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Featured campaigns

Nicotine Equals Brain Poison

Nicotine is an extremely addictive poison and neurotoxin that is especially dangerous for young people’s developing brains.678910

Addicting Kids
Featured campaigns

The Little Big Lie

Cigarette butts are made of microplastics – tiny toxic fibers that pollute our environment and could harm us all.27282930

Little Big Lie
Teens in schoolyard header

Flavored tobacco is out. Saving lives is in.

A new law ends the sale of most flavored tobacco products, including vapes and menthol cigarettes, and helps protect all Californians from a lifetime of deadly addiction – especially our kids.313233

Understand the law

Tobacco industry’s damage

The tobacco industry currently spends billions each year on slick marketing tactics and political influence so they can profit off death and disease.3435
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Even for people who don’t use tobacco, there can be deadly consequences.36
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The industry calls kids their “replacement customers.” Big Tobacco sentences them to a lifetime of addiction and disease.37
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This racist and unjust industry has strategically targeted certain communities with deadly products and manipulative messaging.38
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No one’s safe from the environmental damage and health risks from toxic tobacco waste and its plastic pollution.27293039404142
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In the news

Banning Menthol Cigarettes: California-Based Advocacy Group Joins Suit Against Federal Govt.
Post News Group
Urged on by LGBTQ+ Activists, California Cities Weigh Stricter Smoking Rules
California Healthline
Santa Rosa approves ban on e-cigarette, flavored tobacco sales
The Press Democrat
Yurok Join War on Tobacco with unprecedented policy
Del Norte Triplicate
Smoking Rates Fell After a Ban On Menthol Cigarettes
The New York Times logo
Supreme Court leaves California’s ban on flavored cigarettes in place
Photo with no alt text
California’s Anti-Smoking Push Spurs Big Savings on Health Costs
UCSF
Voters approve California law banning flavored tobacco
Associated Press
lady in a garden wearing a head scarf and looking at the camera

Protect the people and places you love

It only takes a moment to add your voice to the fight and protect Californians from the tobacco industry’s harms.

More ways to tell the industry you’ve had enough
  1. Beverly Hills City Ordinance No. 19-O-2783. June, 2019. Accessed June, 2024. https://www.beverlyhills.org/DocumentCenter/View/814/Ordinance-No-19-O-2783-PDF
  2. Action on Smoking & Health California. Phasing out the sale of tobacco products: Case Study Manhattan Beach. Updated September 2021, Accessed June, 2024. https://endtobaccoca.ash.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/CS_ManhattanBeach_V1_Final.pdf
  3. Neuling H. Key state-specific tobacco-related data & rankings. Updated January 3, 2024. Accessed March 22, 2024. https://assets.tobaccofreekids.org/factsheets/0176.pdf
  4. California Department of Public Health, California Tobacco Prevention Program. California Tobacco Facts and Figures 2024. Sacramento, CA: California Department of Public Health; May 2024. https://www.cdph.ca.gov/Programs/CCDPHP/DCDIC/CTCB/CDPH%20Document%20Library/ResearchandEvaluation/FactsandFigures/CaliforniaTobaccoFactsAndFigures_2024.pdf
  5. California Cancer Registry. Age-adjusted invasive cancer incidence rates in California; lung and bronchus, 1988-2017. Accessed June 24, 2024. https://www.ccrcal.org/retrieve-data/data-library/#273-205-statistical-tables-1665511786
  6. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The Health Consequences of Smoking: Nicotine Addiction A Report of the Surgeon General. Atlanta, GA: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control, Center for Health Promotion and Education, Office on Smoking and Health, 1988. Accessed August 15, 2024. https://digirepo.nlm.nih.gov/ext/document/101584932X423/PDF/101584932X423.pdf  
  7. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Nicotine: System Agent. The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health. Updated May 12, 2011. Accessed April 10, 2024. https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/ershdb/emergencyresponsecard_29750028.html
  8. Mishra A, Chaturvedi P, Datta S, Sinukumar S, Joshi P, Garg A. Harmful effects of nicotine. Indian J Med Paediatr Oncol. 2015;36(1):24-31. doi:10.4103/0971-5851.151771
  9. Abreu-Villaça Y, Seidler FJ, Tate CA, Slotkin TA. Nicotine is a neurotoxin in the adolescent brain: critical periods, patterns of exposure, regional selectivity, and dose thresholds for macromolecular alterations. Brain Res. 2003;979(1-2):114-128. doi:10.1016/s0006-8993(03)02885-3
  10. Goriounova NA, Mansvelder HD. Short- and long-term consequences of nicotine exposure during adolescence for prefrontal cortex neuronal network function. Cold Spring Harb Perspect Med. 2012;2(12):a012120. Published 2012 Dec 1. doi:10.1101/cshperspect.a012120
  11. Tobacco Tactics. Newer Nicotine and Tobacco Products. Published July 17, 2023. Accessed September 19, 2023. https://tobaccotactics.org/article/newer-nicotine-and-tobacco-products/#:~:text=Since%20the%20early%202000s%20transnational,)%2C%20snus%20and%20nicotine%20pouches
  12. Sy, D. Big Tobacco’s Investments in and Acquisitions of Pharmaceutical Companies. ExposeTobacco.org. Updated February 2022. Accessed August 15, 2024. https://exposetobacco.org/wp-content/uploads/STOP-Pharma-Brief-3.15.22.pdf
  13. Aherrera A, Lin JJ, Chen R, et al. Metal Concentrations in E-Cigarette Aerosol Samples: A Comparison by Device Type and Flavor. Environ Health Perspect. 2023;131(12):127004. doi:10.1289/EHP11921
  14. Fowles J, Barreau T, Wu N. Cancer and Non-Cancer Risk Concerns from Metals in Electronic Cigarette Liquids and Aerosols. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2020 Mar 24;17(6):2146. doi: 10.3390/ijerph17062146. PMID: 32213824; PMCID: PMC7142621.
  15. Liu Q, Huang C, Chris Le X. Arsenic species in electronic cigarettes: Determination and potential health risk. J Environ Sci (China). 2020;91:168-176. doi:10.1016/j.jes.2020.01.023
  16. National Cancer Institute. Arsenic. Updated December 5, 2022. Accessed March 25, 2025. https://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/causes-prevention/risk/substances/arsenic
  17. World Health Organization. Arsenic: Key facts. Updated December 7, 2022. Accessed March 25, 2025. https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/arsenic
  18. Zhao S, Zhang X, Wang J, Lin J, Cao D, Zhu M. Carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic health risk assessment of organic compounds and heavy metals in electronic cigarettes. Sci Rep. 2023;13(1):16046. Published 2023 Sep 25. doi:10.1038/s41598-023-43112-
  19. American Cancer Society. Known and probable human carcinogens. Updated August 1, 2024. Accessed March 25, 2025. https://www.cancer.org/cancer/risk-prevention/understanding-cancer-risk/known-and-probable-human-carcinogens.html
  20. Goniewicz ML, Knysak J, Gawron M, et al. Levels of selected carcinogens and toxicants in vapour from electronic cigarettes. Tob Control. 2014;23(2):133-139.
  21. Hess CA, Olmedo P, Navas-Acien A, Goessler W, Cohen JE, Rule AM. E-cigarettes as a source of toxic and potentially carcinogenic metals. Environ Res. 2017;152:221-225. doi:10.1016/j.envres.2016.09.026
  22. Proposition 65. Lead and Lead Components. Accessed March 25, 2025. https://www.p65warnings.ca.gov/fact-sheets/lead-and-lead-compounds
  23. Williams M, Bozhilov K, Ghai S, Talbot P. Elements including metals in the atomizer and aerosol of disposable electronic cigarettes and electronic hookahs. PLoS One. 2017;12(4):e0175430. Published 2017 Apr 17. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0175430
  24. Kosmider L, Sobczak A, Fik M, et al. Carbonyl compounds in electronic cigarette vapors: effects of nicotine solvent and battery output voltage. Nicotine Tob Res. 2014;16(10):1319-1326. doi:10.1093/ntr/ntu078
  25. Salamanca, J.C., Meehan-Atrash, J., Vreeke, S. et al. E-cigarettes can emit formaldehyde at high levels under conditions that have been reported to be non-averse to users. Sci Rep 8, 7559 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-018-25907-6
  26. The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH). Formaldehyde: evidence of carcinogenicity. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Updated June 6, 2014. Accessed March 25, 2025. https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/docs/81-111/default.html
  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.
  28. Slaughter E, Gersberg RM, Watanabe K, Rudolph J, Stransky C, Novotny TE. Toxicity of cigarette butts, and their chemical components, to marine and freshwater fish [published correction appears in Tob Control. 2011 Nov;20(6):418]. Tob Control. 2011;20 Suppl 1(Suppl_1):i25–i29. doi:10.1136/tc.2010.040170.
  29. Break Free From Plastic. Branded Vol. III Demanding corporate accountability for plastic pollution. Brand Audit 2020. Published 2020. Accessed July 10, 2024. https://brandaudit.breakfreefromplastic.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/BFFP-Brand-Audit-Report-2020.pdf.
  30. 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
  31. Tobacco sales: flavored tobacco ban 2023. Assembly Bill No. 935. Accessed June, 2024. https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billTextClient.xhtml?bill_id=202320240AB935
  32. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The Health Consequences of Smoking: 50 Years of Progress. A Report of the Surgeon General, 2014. Accessed August 15, 2024. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK179276/
  33. Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids. Designed for addiction: How the tobacco industry has made cigarettes more addictive, more attractive to kids and even more deadly. Published June 23, 2014. Accessed August 15, 2024. https://assets.tobaccofreekids.org/content/what_we_do/industry_watch/product_manipulation/2014_06_19_DesignedforAddiction_web.pdf
  34. Federal Trade Commission. Federal Trade Commission Cigarette Report for 2020. Washington, D.C.: Federal Trade Commission. October, 2021. Accessed July 10, 2024. https://www.ftc.gov/reports/federal-trade-commission-cigarette-report-2020-smokeless-tobacco-report-2020
  35. Open Secrets. Industry Profile: Tobacco. Summary of 2021. Accessed July 10, 2024. https://www.opensecrets.org/federal-lobbying/industries/summary?cycle=2021&id=A02
  36. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The health consequences of involuntary exposure to tobacco smoke: a report of the surgeon general. Office of Smoking and Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Published 2006. Accessed July 10, 2024. https://ww2.arb.ca.gov/sites/default/files/classic/research/apr/reports/l4000a.pdf
  37. UCSF Industry Documents Library. Younger adult smokers: strategies and opportunities. R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company. Published February 29, 1984. Accessed July 10, 2024. https://www.industrydocuments.ucsf.edu/docs/rkvk0045
  38. 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.
  39. 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.
  40. 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
  41. 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.
  42. 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.