Make Quitting Convenient NJ Applauds Senate & Assembly Health Committees for Passing Legislation That Would Increase Access to Smoking Cessation Products in Underserved Communities Across New Jersey; Urges Swift Approval by Legislature.

A6020 (Conaway/Jimenez)/S4114 (Codey/Diegnan) provides access to Nicotine Replacement Therapies where overwhelming majority of cigarettes are sold; ensuring equal access in all New Jersey communities.

Trenton, New Jersey, December 8, 2021—Make Quitting Convenient NJ, comprised of public health equity advocates, applauds the Assembly and Senate Health Committees for taking another step forward this week in the fight against smoking in the Garden State by overwhelmingly passing A6020 / S4114 with bi-partisan support. The legislation provides a balanced approach to increasing access to potentially life-saving smoking cessation products, Nicotine Replacement Therapies (NRT), in underserved communities by putting the products in convenience stores.

Convenience stores—where 92% of all cigarettes and just 3% of NRT products are sold—are more densely located in neighborhoods with more low-income, minority residents. With research showing that using NRTs can significantly reduce the prevalence of smoking, this important legislation takes aim at removing this barrier to quitting, which is further fueling disparities in tobacco use and its deleterious health effects in these marginalized communities.

“It’s well documented that Big Tobacco has targeted racial and ethnic communities for decades, which is leading to higher instances of smoking-related deaths,” said Richard T. Smith, President, NAACP New Jersey State Conference. “Large segments of underserved communities do not have access to smoking cessation products within a reasonable distance; while others that have chain stores have easy access and availability to them,” Smith added.

Research shows that the greater availability of and exposure to tobacco products, in part from high retailer density and proximity, is associated with increased smoking rates in both youth and adult populations. This bill seeks to ensure that with the prevalence of convenience stores in urban communities, that residents will have the same proximity and access to smoking cessation products in the very same stores that sell most tobacco products in the state.

The bill takes a balance approach to increasing this critical access to NRTs in underserved communities, while not overburdening any retailer. The legislation prioritizes health, while allowing stores to choose what kind of NRT product to sell and how much inventory they carry. Stores would also have 14 days to replace the product from the time they sell out to allow for supply flexibility. Further, the legislation does not prohibit the selling of any legal tobacco products, it simply requires the potentially life altering NRT be available as well.

“New Jersey has long been a leader in anti-tobacco policies, but with smoking still the leading cause of preventable death, there’s no question policymakers have more work to do. A6020/S4114 is an important step toward ensuring all New Jerseyans, regardless of where they live, have ready access to the tools they need to help them quit smoking and improve their health,” said Kevin O’Flaherty, Director of Advocacy-Northeast Region, Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids.

A6020/S4114 now moves to the full Assembly and Senate for consideration where Make Quitting Convenient NJ is urging swift passage and enactment by Governor Murphy by the end of the Legislative session.