What’s the problem?

Smoking cessation products in Michigan are not readily available at convenience stores, even though convenience stores are where 92% of all cigarettes are sold in the Great Lakes State. In fact, less than 3% of nicotine replacement therapies (NRT) are sold at convenience stores. This lack of access is not by accident. Convenience stores are disproportionately located in low-income, minority communities, presenting barriers to quitting smoking for these residents and further fueling disparities in tobacco use and its associated deleterious health effects.

What needs to be done?

With tobacco sales a top source of revenue for the convenience store industry, there is little incentive for the retailers to carry NRTs. In fact, customers who smoke tend to be regulars at convenience stores. With these retailers more densely located in neighborhoods with more low-income and marginalized residents, access to potentially life-saving NRT products is not equitable. The state must change this by passing legislation requiring convenience stores to carry at least one NRT product, so all Michigans, regardless of where they live, have ready access to the tools they need to help them quit smoking and improve their overall health.

Making NRTs More Accessible Can Reduce Prevalence of Smoking

• Studies show using NRT can nearly double the chances of quitting smoking and increases quit rates from 50% to 70%.
• NRT helps make quitting smoking easier by relieving acute nicotine cravings. Research shows that the average smoker starts to feel the symptoms of withdrawal within an hour of putting out their last cigarette.
• Almost half (45.8%) of quitting attempts are spontaneous, meaning that a smoker tries to quit as soon as they make the decision to do. Selling NRTs at convenience stores along-side cigarettes could help support this spontaneous decision to quit, treat acute nicotine cravings, and prevent cigarette usage relapse.