Our mission
We have been leading the fight to protect Californians from the tobacco industry for more than 30 years. Because we deserve healthy lives, lower healthcare costs, tobacco-free communities, and an environment free of the tobacco industry’s toxic waste. And kids should grow up without the tobacco industry poisoning their childhood.1
Every day, we work to undo the tobacco industry’s damage and restore every Californian’s right to health and wellness.
We’ve been holding the tobacco industry accountable for over 30 years
2000 +
local policies passed to protect Californians from the tobacco industry’s damage.2
2nd lowest
adult smoking rate3 and one of the lowest youth vaping rates in the US.4 But, tobacco use is still the #1 cause of preventable death in California and the US.5
$51.4 billion
over 30 years kept out of the tobacco industry’s pockets.6
15.7 billion
fewer packs of cigarettes sold in the past 30 years.7
1 million +
lives saved.8
$500 billion
saved in healthcare costs.9
42.8% decrease
in lung and bronchial cancer rates in California.10
- 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.
- American Nonsmokers Rights Foundation. U.S. Tobacco Control Laws Database. no-smoke.org. https://no-smoke.org/materials-services/lists-maps/. Accessed March 3, 2022.
- CDC. Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System Overview. 2020.
- https://www.cdc.gov/healthyyouth/data/yrbs/results.htm.
- U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of the Surgeon General. Surgeon General Priority: Tobacco. hhs.gov. https://www.hhs.gov/surgeongeneral/priorities/tobacco/index.html. Reviewed May 14, 2019. Accessed March 23, 2022.
- Lightwood J, Anderson S. Health Care Cost Savings Attributable to the California Tobacco Control Program, 1989 to 2018. San Francisco, CA: Department of Clinical Pharmacy, School of Pharmacy, University of California, San Francisco;2020.
- Lightwood J, Anderson S. Health Care Cost Savings Attributable to the California Tobacco Control Program, 1989 to 2018. San Francisco, CA: Department of Clinical Pharmacy, School of Pharmacy, University of California, San Francisco;2020.
- California Department of Public Health. California’s Award Winning Tobacco Control Program Marks Its 20th Anniversary [press release]. April 7, 2009. Accessed March 24, 2020.
- Lightwood J, Anderson S. Health Care Cost Savings Attributable to the California Tobacco Control Program, 1989 to 2018. San Francisco, CA: Department of Clinical Pharmacy, School of Pharmacy, University of California, San Francisco;2020.
- California Cancer Registry 1989 vs California Cancer Registry 2017. https://cancer-rates.info/ca/.
- 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.
- 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.