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Letters: Tobacco story is blowing smoke
Sheila Pell’s article National City Really, Really Doesn't Want You to Smoke or Vape," published on September 23, 2025, describes National City’s adoption of a Tobacco Retail License program (TRL). TRLs are very common – over 230 municipalities in California have one, including nine in San Diego County. They require stores that sell tobacco to apply for a local license to do so, in addition to the state mandated license. The fee for the license funds background checks for the applicants and covers the cost of tobacco sales law enforcement, such as compliance checks and underage decoy checks that are not performed by the state.
Tobacco related disease is the #1 cause of death in the U.S. Cigarettes are the only legal product that, when used as directed, kills the consumer. Over 90% of current smokers begin smoking before age 18. National City’s council deserves high praise for their action to protect the health of their constituents by regulating tobacco sales in the city.
Ms. Pell’s subtitle, "New rules ban the transfers of licenses to sell tobacco" is unfortunately both false and misleading. Tobacco Retail Licenses have never been transferable. The state-issued license is nontransferable, as is every local tobacco retail license. This is not a “new” rule. Licenses are privileges given to the individual licensee and are not a commodity allowed be sold with a business. Similar to how your mother’s driver's license cannot be transferred to you or sold to your neighbor, tobacco retail licenses cannot be sold or transferred.
National City chose to cap the number of licenses issued at 54. According to Stanford’s California Tobacco Health Assessment Tool, a mapping system based on state-issued licenses, National City currently has 50 tobacco retailers. Twenty-five of them are located within 1000 feet of a school. They will remain in operation for as long as they would like, and when they are ready to close or sell their business, a new tobacco retail license will not be granted at that location. Proximity of tobacco retailers to schools has been linked to increased youth exposure to tobacco marketing and access. The tobacco industry knows this, as one Big Tobacco executive is quoted as egregiously saying, “The base of our business is the high school student.”
Social Advocates for Youth (SAY) San Diego and National City Coalition for Better Health were pleased to provide data and support the community in advocating for National City’s Tobacco Retail License program. Note, these are the correct names for the article’s mention of "Say San Diego" and "Communities for Better Health."
Cynthia Knapp, MPH
City Heights
Here's something you might be interested in.
Letters: Tobacco story is blowing smoke
Letters: Tobacco story is blowing smoke
Sheila Pell’s article National City Really, Really Doesn't Want You to Smoke or Vape," published on September 23, 2025, describes National City’s adoption of a Tobacco Retail License program (TRL). TRLs are very common – over 230 municipalities in California have one, including nine in San Diego County. They require stores that sell tobacco to apply for a local license to do so, in addition to the state mandated license. The fee for the license funds background checks for the applicants and covers the cost of tobacco sales law enforcement, such as compliance checks and underage decoy checks that are not performed by the state.
Tobacco related disease is the #1 cause of death in the U.S. Cigarettes are the only legal product that, when used as directed, kills the consumer. Over 90% of current smokers begin smoking before age 18. National City’s council deserves high praise for their action to protect the health of their constituents by regulating tobacco sales in the city.
Ms. Pell’s subtitle, "New rules ban the transfers of licenses to sell tobacco" is unfortunately both false and misleading. Tobacco Retail Licenses have never been transferable. The state-issued license is nontransferable, as is every local tobacco retail license. This is not a “new” rule. Licenses are privileges given to the individual licensee and are not a commodity allowed be sold with a business. Similar to how your mother’s driver's license cannot be transferred to you or sold to your neighbor, tobacco retail licenses cannot be sold or transferred.
National City chose to cap the number of licenses issued at 54. According to Stanford’s California Tobacco Health Assessment Tool, a mapping system based on state-issued licenses, National City currently has 50 tobacco retailers. Twenty-five of them are located within 1000 feet of a school. They will remain in operation for as long as they would like, and when they are ready to close or sell their business, a new tobacco retail license will not be granted at that location. Proximity of tobacco retailers to schools has been linked to increased youth exposure to tobacco marketing and access. The tobacco industry knows this, as one Big Tobacco executive is quoted as egregiously saying, “The base of our business is the high school student.”
Social Advocates for Youth (SAY) San Diego and National City Coalition for Better Health were pleased to provide data and support the community in advocating for National City’s Tobacco Retail License program. Note, these are the correct names for the article’s mention of "Say San Diego" and "Communities for Better Health."
Cynthia Knapp, MPH
City Heights