title: Tobacco retail policy landscape: a longitudinal survey of US states.
abstract: There are ∼380 000 tobacco retailers in the USA, where the largest tobacco companies spend almost $9 billion a year to promote their products. No systematic survey has been conducted of state-level activities to regulate the retail environment, thus little is known about what policies are being planned, proposed or implemented.
  
  
  
  This longitudinal study is the first US survey of state tobacco control programmes (TCPs) about retail policy activities. Surveyed in 2012 and 2014, programme managers (n=46) reported activities in multiple domains: e-cigarettes, retailer density and licensing, non-tax price increases, product placement, advertising and promotion, health warnings and other approaches. Policy activities were reported in one of five levels: no formal activity, planning or advocating, policy was proposed, policy was enacted or policy was implemented. Overall and domain-specific activity scores were calculated for each state.
  
  
  
  The average retail policy activity almost doubled between 2012 and 2014. States with the largest increase in scores included: Minnesota, which established a fee-based tobacco retail licensing system and banned self-service for e-cigarettes and all other tobacco products (OTP); Oregon, Kansas and Maine, all of which banned self-service for OTP; and West Virginia, which banned some types of flavoured OTP.
  
  
  
  Retail policy activities in US states increased dramatically in a short time. Given what is known about the impact of the retail environment on tobacco use by youth and adults, state and local TCPs may want diversify policy priorities by implementing retail policies alongside tax and smoke-free air laws.
authors.affiliation: Center for Public Health Systems Science, George Warren Brown School of Social Work, Washington University in St Louis, St Louis, Missouri, USA.
authors.forename: Douglas A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Luke
authors.affiliation: Center for Public Health Systems Science, George Warren Brown School of Social Work, Washington University in St Louis, St Louis, Missouri, USA.
authors.forename: Amy A
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Sorg
authors.affiliation: Center for Public Health Systems Science, George Warren Brown School of Social Work, Washington University in St Louis, St Louis, Missouri, USA.
authors.forename: Todd
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Combs
authors.affiliation: Center for Public Health Systems Science, George Warren Brown School of Social Work, Washington University in St Louis, St Louis, Missouri, USA.
authors.forename: Christopher B
authors.initials: CB
authors.lastname: Robichaux
authors.affiliation: Center for Public Health Systems Science, George Warren Brown School of Social Work, Washington University in St Louis, St Louis, Missouri, USA.
authors.forename: Sarah
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Moreland-Russell
authors.affiliation: Gillings School of Global Public Health, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA.
authors.forename: Kurt M
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Ribisl
authors.affiliation: Stanford Prevention Research Center, Stanford University School of Medicine, Palo Alto, California, USA.
authors.forename: Lisa
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Henriksen
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D003132:Commerce / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D066300:Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D011640:Public Policy; D012907:Smoking / Q000191:economics / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D000074606:Smoking Prevention / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D062789:Tobacco Products / Q000191:economics* / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence; D014481:United States
keywords: Advertising and Promotion; Environment; Price; Public policy; Taxation