One State Is Paying Stores to Cut Tobacco Ads Near Youth Instead of Fining Them. Is It Working?

Instead of penalizing stores for promoting tobacco products, one Ohio county is testing whether financial incentives can encourage retailers to voluntarily reduce tobacco, alcohol, and lottery advertising. The initiative shifts away from traditional enforcement and asks a simple question: Can rewarding businesses produce healthier communities more effectively than punishing them?

What Is the Retailers CARE Program?

The program, known as Retailers Creating a Responsible Environment (Retailers CARE), launched in Montgomery County, Ohio. Developed through partnerships between local public health officials and researchers at The Ohio State University, it encourages retailers to adopt healthier store practices in exchange for funding rather than fines. The program’s implementation was recently described in the American Journal of Public Health.

Why Researchers Targeted Convenience Stores

Public health experts have long viewed convenience stores as one of the primary places where young people encounter tobacco marketing. According to Ohio State researchers, the tobacco industry spends roughly $6 billion annually on point-of-sale advertising and promotions, with many of those displays concentrated in neighborhoods already facing poorer health outcomes.

Paying Stores Instead of Punishing Them

Rather than relying solely on inspections and penalties, participating retailers can earn between $2,700 and $7,200 by meeting increasingly demanding standards. Those standards include removing storefront advertisements, placing tobacco products behind counters, limiting alcohol sales hours, maintaining drug-free workplace policies, and keeping naloxone kits available. The incentive money can be used for store improvements that also benefit the business.

The First Year Produced Encouraging Results

The pilot operated from fall 2023 through fall 2024 and initially identified 28 eligible retailers in neighborhoods with high levels of tobacco, alcohol, and lottery advertising. Seven stores joined the program, with five reaching bronze certification, one earning silver, and one achieving gold status. Several participants removed window advertisements and posted gambling helpline information, while funding helped pay for upgrades such as roof repairs, new lighting, and redesigned checkout areas.

Researchers Still See Challenges Ahead

Although the early outcomes are encouraging, researchers acknowledge that recruiting retailers remains difficult. Independently owned stores proved more willing to participate than chain locations, largely because local owners have greater control over advertising displays and store policies. Researchers also say longer-term evaluation will be needed to determine whether these changes ultimately improve community health.

Why Reducing Store Advertising Matters

Previous research has consistently shown that schools serving larger Hispanic and economically disadvantaged populations are often surrounded by significantly more tobacco advertising than other schools. Simulation studies have found that reducing tobacco retailers or advertising near schools could lower youth exposure, although the benefits may not be distributed equally across every community.

The Program Is Built on Collaboration

Lead researcher Megan Roberts says Retailers CARE represents a “carrot” approach rather than the traditional “stick.” Instead of viewing store owners as enforcement targets, the initiative treats them as community partners who can voluntarily contribute to healthier neighborhoods while also receiving practical business improvements that make participation worthwhile.

Could Other Communities Copy It?

The researchers believe the model could inspire similar programs elsewhere if funding remains available. Continued support from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Drug Free Communities Support Program will allow the initiative to continue, giving researchers more time to measure whether the voluntary strategy produces lasting reductions in harmful marketing and improved public health outcomes.

The Bigger Question Goes Beyond Tobacco

Whether Retailers CARE ultimately proves more effective than traditional enforcement remains to be seen, but the program reflects a broader shift in public health thinking. Rather than relying exclusively on fines and penalties, policymakers are increasingly exploring whether partnerships and financial incentives can motivate businesses to become active participants in creating healthier communities.