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The tobacco industry knows exactly what it’s doing

As the tobacco industry rakes in massive profits, Californians pay a terrible price.
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$30.9 million
What the tobacco industry spent in 2021 on federal lobbying to weaken public health regulations.
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12x
In California, there’s a store that sells tobacco for every 293 kids – that’s 12x more tobacco retailers than there are Starbucks.
Child and parent image ripped and overlayed with cigarette imagery
110
Number of Californians who die every day as a result of the tobacco industry. For every death, 30 more people suffer from tobacco-related diseases – even if they don’t use tobacco.
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72%
Because of the tobacco industry’s aggressive targeting, price promotion, discounting, and couponing, 72% of people who smoke reside in lower-income communities.
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$41 million
Estimated cost for California public agencies to clean up cigarette butts every year.

Explore the 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.1516
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Even for people who don’t use tobacco, there can be deadly consequences.17
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The industry calls kids their “replacement customers.”18 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.19
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No one’s safe from the environmental damage and health risks from toxic tobacco waste and its plastic pollution.20212223242526
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Our media campaigns

Isaiah, an African American father, holding his son in his arms with their faces painted from a party
Exhale
As two cities end tobacco sales, and smoking and lung cancer rates drop, a California without Big Tobacco is already happening.
closeup of a girl's anxious face with the slogan Nicotine = Brain Poison superimposed on top
Nicotine Equals Brain Poison
Nicotine is toxic for kids and young adults with developing brains.
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Big Tobacco's Fantasyland
Big Tobacco’s trying to sell us a future without smoking, where vapes are a “safer alternative.” Their deception is dangerous – and deadly.
Woman sitting and holding a cigarette
Story of Inequity
When manipulative and deceitful marketing is disguised as empathy and support, it’s easier to hook historically excluded groups.
Cartoon image of goblin-like characters in suits who represent Big Tobacco holding a cigarette and grinning
Little Big Lie
Cigarette butts are made of microplastics – tiny toxic fibers that can contaminate our food chain and could make their way to you.
artistic rendering of smoke emerging from a black balloon that is being popped, to represent secondhand smoke
Secondhand Dangers
Exposure to secondhand smoke can happen at work, at home, or even outdoors – which puts everyone at risk for serious health problems.
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We Are Not Profit
For too long the tobacco industry has been strategically killing the Black community with menthol cigarettes.

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?
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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,2728 and it’s time to hold the tobacco industry to the same standards.
Raise your voice against the tobacco industry
  1. Brownell KD, Warner KE. The perils of ignoring history: Big Tobacco played dirty and millions died. How similar is Big Food?. Milbank Q. 2009;87(1):259-294. doi:10.1111/j.1468-0009.2009.00555.x.
  2. Maloney J. Against All Odds, the U.S. Tobacco Industry Is Rolling in Money. The Wall Street Journal. https://www.wsj.com/articles/u-s-tobacco-industry-rebounds-from-its-near-death-experience-1492968698. April 27, 2017. Accessed March 11, 2019.
  3. Max W, Sung H-Y, Shi Y, & Stark B. The Cost of Smoking in California, 2009. San Francisco, CA: Institute for Health & Aging, University of California, San Francisco, 2014.
  4. A 501tax-exempt O, NW charitable organization 1300 LS, Washington S 200, info D 20005 telephone 857-0044. Tobacco Lobbying Profile. OpenSecrets. Accessed March 16, 2022. https://www.opensecrets.org/federal-lobbying/industries/summary?cycle=2021&id=A02.
  5. Tobacco Lobbying Profile • OpenSecrets. https://www.opensecrets.org/federal-lobbying/industries/summary?cycle=2021&id=A02. Accessed March 16, 2022.
  6. California Department of Public Health. California Tobacco Facts and Figures 2024. 2024. Accessed June 23, 2025. https://www.cdph.ca.gov/Programs/CCDPHP/DCDIC/CTCB/CDPH%20Document%20Library/ResearchandEvaluation/FactsandFigures/CaliforniaTobaccoFactsAndFigures_2024.pdf
  7. California Dept. of Finance, Population Estimates and Projections (May 2020); U.S. Census Bureau, Population and Housing Unit Estimates (Jul. 2020).
  8. Starbucks map of America: Which states have the most locations? https://slate.com/business/2014/04/starbucks-map-of-america-which-states-have-the-most-locations.html. Accessed March 21, 2022.
  9. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. CDC Archive: Diseases and Death. Updated July 29, 2022. Accessed July 3, 2024. https://archive.cdc.gov/#/details?url=https://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/data_statistics/fact_sheets/fast_facts/diseases-and-death.html
  10. https://truthinitiative.org/research-resources/targeted-communities/why-are-72-smokers-lower-income-communities.
  11. RELEASE: Assemblymembers Luz Rivas, Mark Stone, and Cottie Petrie-Norris Introduce Legislation to Ban Single-Use Vapes and Tobacco Filters [press release]. a74.asmdc.org. https://a74.asmdc.org/press-releases/20220125-release-assemblymembers-luz-rivas-mark-stone-and-cottie-petrie-norris. Published January 25, 2022. Accessed March 23, 2022.
  12. 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.
  13. 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.
  14. Federal Trade Commission. Federal Trade Commission Cigarette Report for 2020. Washington, D.C.: Federal Trade Commission. 2021.
  15. OpenSecrets. Industry Profile: Tobacco. Opensecrets.org. https://www.opensecrets.org/federal-lobbying/industries./summary?cycle=2021&id=A02. Accessed March 16, 2022.
  16. (24) 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
  17. R.J. Reynolds. Younger Adult Smokers: Strategies and Opportunities. https://www.industrydocuments.ucsf.edu/docs/rkvk0045. 1984 February 29.
  18. 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.
  19. Break Free From Plastic. Branded Vol. III: Demanding corporate accountability for plastic pollution. 2020.
  20. 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.
  21. 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.
  22. 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.
  23. 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.
  24. 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.
  25. 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.
  26. 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.
  27. 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.