The first part would be to set a minimum price for all tobacco products, including little cigars and e-cigarettes. Three other noticeable places in the country have minimum price policies: Sonoma County ($7.00), New York State ($9.50), and New York City ($13.00).
The second part of our policy is the restriction and regulation of coupons. It would not prohibit coupons from being distributed, but it would make redeeming coupons illegal, which may ultimately stop the distribution and circulation. The third part of our policy would mandate a minimum pack size. The United States already has a minimum pack size for cigarettes (20), so our policy means to address more accessible tobacco products like e-cigarette or JUUL pods. Also cigarillos, which can be sold in two-packs for as little as 99ยข.
In 2017, YPL conducted a survey of 150 adult residents in San Francisco. We asked them how they felt about two parts of our policy, and the support was clear. 81% of adults either supported or strongly supported setting a minimum price for tobacco, and 83% felt the same about restrictions on discounts.
Our goal is to have the Board of Supervisors adopt this new policy by June 2020. To reach our goal, YPL youth have been learning how to build a grassroots policy movement by developing critical skills and experience. They have been conducting surveys, campaigning on social media, communicating data, interviewing stakeholders, writing letters-to-the-editor, community organizing, and public speaking and presenting.
Now that flavored tobacco products have been prohibited in San Francisco; we think there is momentum among progressive and moderate Supervisors who will support a significant new step toward protecting our communities and youth. The use of tobacco products
leads to a lifetime of addiction and disease, and we believe a smoke-free San Francisco is better for everybody in every neighborhood.