Changes in Cigarette Availability and Sales Associated with California's Statewide Flavored Tobacco Sales Restriction

Abstract

INTRODUCTION: California enacted a statewide restriction on flavored tobacco product sales on December 21, 2022. Policy efforts to eliminate flavored tobacco products from retail environments are designed to restrict consumer access, with the goal of reducing initiation and experimentation, and supporting cessation.

METHODS: This study used NielsenIQ retail scanner data to study cigarette pack sales and availability (i.e., the weekly number of universal product codes (UPCs) with positive sales), pre-intervention (1/1/2021 to 12/17/2022) to post-intervention (12/18/2022 to 12/30/2023) overall and by flavor category: tobacco/unflavored, menthol, and "nonmenthol" labeled. A control method was employed to create a synthetic California, based on pre-intervention-period data, to compare to California, post-intervention.

RESULTS: From pre- to post-intervention, average weekly availability of menthol cigarettes decreased 44% in California, with ∼175 products still available in December 2023; sales decreased by 90%. "Non-menthol" labeled cigarette availability increased 194% and sales increased 708%. Total cigarette availability in California decreased, but total sales were unchanged. Changes in California were distinct from synthetic California.

CONCLUSIONS: California's statewide flavored tobacco sales restriction was effective at reducing the availability and sale of menthol cigarettes despite the increase in availability and sales of "non-menthol" labeled cigarettes. Total cigarette sales remain unchanged in the oneyear post-intervention due to the increase in sales of "non-menthol" labeled cigarettes.