Stop Tobacco Engagement

Project(STEP)

Who’s Involved in STEP?Youth from Hijos del Sol of La Familia

Counseling Service CommPre, a program of Horizon Services,

Inc.  Funded by a grant from the Alameda County

Tobacco Control Coalition and the American Lung Association.

What is STEP’s goal?

Promote policy change! Conditional Use Permit (CUP): Requires new

tobacco businesses to get a CUP.  This permit would limit where new tobacco retailers could locate.  The permit would not allow tobacco retailers to be within a certain distance of sensitive receptors (i.e. schools, churches, parks)

Tobacco Retailer License (TRL): Requires tobacco retailers to pay a fee to sell tobacco.  The fee would then go towards enforcement to make sure that stores are not selling tobacco to people under 18.  It would also limit youth-friendly products and reduce drug paraphernalia. 

For Ashland and Cherryland…ACT’s Tobacco Policy Workgroup is working

towards passing a TRL for Unincorporated Alameda County

WHY?To reduce drug paraphernalia currently

illegally being sold in unincorporated Alameda County outlets

Hold businesses accountable. Currently there are no consequences for businesses that violate state and local tobacco laws.

Provide ongoing consistent enforcement to prevent sales to minors, sales of drug paraphernalia, and sales of single flavored cigars (attractive you youth)

Prohibit retailers from selling flavored cigars and single cigars (under $4)

Did you know?As of Feb. 2012 there are 116 tobacco

retailers in Unincorporated Alameda County, including donut shops, discount stores, pizza parlors and tobacco only outlets.

47% of 9th graders and 60% of 11th graders perceive access to cigarettes as ‘Easy’ AND 3% of 9th graders and 9% of 11th graders are current cigar users in San Lorenzo Unified School District (SLZUSD) (California Healthy Kids Survey, 2011-2012).

Did you know?Cities and Counties with a strong local

ordinance have seen their youth access rates fall dramatically! ◦ Berkeley: $300 annual fee, adopted

December 2002, rates dropped from 38% to 4%; Coachella: $350 annual fee, adopted July 2007, rates dropped from 69% to 11% (The Center for Tobacco Policy & Organizing, 2009).

Cherryland ranks 1st in Alameda County in lung cancer mortality rates (Select Health Indicators for Cities in Alameda County, 2007).

Why do we want policy change?

Why do we want policy change?To have stronger tobacco policies

to protect youthTo reduce youth-friendly tobacco

productsTo reduce the amount of teen

smokers

What STEP activities have we done?We mapped the numerous stores

that sell tobacco in the Hayward area.

12 Tobacco-Only Retailers in Ashland

3 Tobacco-Only Retailers in Cherryland

What STEP activities have we done?Over the past few months we

have visited over 25 stores that sold any kind of tobacco products to see the variety of tobacco products and record if any store sold them illegally.

What other activities will we do?Give presentations to various community

groups to inform people of our projectCreate and update social media pages that

inform people of what we do and what we are trying to achieve.

Write newspaper articlesTrack and monitor new tobacco licenses and

enforcement.Meet with City Council and Planning

Commission membersSpeak at City Council and Planning

Commission hearings

Overall Experience

Thank youAny questions or comments?