Breaking the Barriers: Strategies for a Comprehensive U.S. Tobacco Control Program

Abstract

Given the health and social consequences of tobacco, a policy analysis strategy consisting of three approaches; legal, market, and health education is presented. A unifying feature of the strategy recommendations is that each addresses both prevention of the initiation of tobacco habits and encouragement of cessation. Overall, the strategies focus exclusively on policy alternative initiatives oriented toward reducing the toll of smoking within the United States. The manuscript addresses the conflict that public policy must resolve between the long-term negative health effects and the short-term positive economic interests of tobacco. The critical idea is that policy makers must think beyond local efforts and recognize that they can be a part of a larger network movement working in different ways, yet cooperating for better effectiveness and support to decrease and ultimately stop the use of tobacco products.