The Need for Equitable Access to
Nicotine Replacement Therapy (NRT) in all Communities

The Human and Financial Costs of Smoking
Continue to Be Staggering in California

Smoking-caused health care costs $13.29 billion per year.

Smoking-caused losses in productivity amount to $10.35 billion per year.

40,000 adults in CA die each year of smoking related diseases. 441,000 children now under 18 in CA will ultimately die prematurely from smoking.

Smokers hospitalized with COVID-19 are nearly 2X likely to die.
Smokers face increased risk of severe illness from COVID-19.

Smoking cessation products in California are not readily available at convenience stores, even though convenience stores are where 92% of all cigarettes are sold in the county. In fact, less than 3% of Nicotine Replacement Therapies (NRTs) are sold in convenience stores. This lack of access is not by accident. Convenience stores are disproportionately located in low-income, minority communities, presenting barriers to quitting smoking for these residents and further fueling disparities in tobacco use and its associated deleterious health effects.

Customers who smoke tend to be regulars at convenience stores. With these retailers more densely located in neighborhoods with more low-income and marginalized residents, access to potentially lifesaving NRT products is not equitable. California can increase access in these underserved communities by tapping into convenience stores to carry the products. That way, all residents, regardless of where they live, will have access to the tools they need to help them quit smoking and improve their overall health.

Lack of Access to NRTs in Convenience Stores is Disproportionately Impacting Low-Income, Minority Communities: Research shows that a greater availability of and exposure to tobacco products, in part resulting from high retailer density and proximity, is associated with increased smoking rates in both youth and adult populations. In California, tobacco retailer density is particularly apparent with 3,759 tobacco retailers, 32 times more retailers than McDonald’s restaurants and 14 times more than Starbucks. In fact, 67% of tobacco retailers in the California are located within one city block of another (approximately 515 feet apart). Convenience stores-where 92% of all cigarettes and just 3% of NRTs are sold— are more densely located in lower-income neighborhoods, presenting barriers to quitting smoking and further fueling disparities in tobacco use and its associated deleterious health effects for these residents.

Studies show using NRT can nearly double the chances of quitting smoking and increases quit rates from 50% to 70%.
NRT helps make quitting smoking easier by relieving acute nicotine cravings. Research shows that the average smoker starts to feel the symptoms of withdrawal within an hour of putting out their last cigarette.
Almost half (45.8%) of quitting attempts are spontaneous, meaning that a smoker tries to quit as soon as they make the decision to do so. Selling NRTs at convenience stores along-side cigarettes could help support this spontaneous decision to quit, treat acute nicotine cravings, and prevent cigarette usage relapse.
The good news is seven out of ten smokers want to quit smoking – increasing access to smoking cessation products could help make quitting easier for more California residents.

According to the Federal Trade Commission’s annual Cigarette Report, cigarette sales increased in 2020 for the first time in twenty years.
Tobacco continues to be the leading cause of preventable death in CA.

CA Invests in Smoking Cessation; Now it’s Time to Increase Equitable Access to the Products