CADCA Forum: Equitable Policymaking in Commercial Tobacco Control

This training session was offered during CADCA's 31st Annual National Leadership Forum.

No person – regardless of their race, ethnicity, who they are, or where they live – should be exposed to experiences that are known to be harmful. Yet factors such as targeted marketing and variations in policy protections increase many underserved communities’ exposure to tobacco. Inequitable policies and social, structural, and environmental factors such as income inequality and poverty, structural discrimination and racism, intergenerational trauma, toxic stress, housing instability, and lack of access to quality education further increase susceptibility to tobacco use.

To address these inequities, stakeholders must prioritize the integration and advancement of health equity in all aspects of commercial tobacco control policymaking. Considering equity at each step in the process can help ensure that any policy change is grounded in a deep understanding of the health priorities, goals, and lived experiences of communities.