Santa Cruz County's Cigarette Filter Ban Lights a Global Fire

SACRAMENTO, Calif., May 20, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- In honor of World No Tobacco Day (May 31), Action on Smoking and Health amplifies the global leadership of Santa Cruz County, California which became the first jurisdiction in the world to ban the sale of cigarettes with filters in October 2024. They will not be the last. Other counties and cities, U.S. states and foreign governments are strongly considering such a move. A United Nations treaty negotiation to end plastic pollution is also considering cigarette filters for the chopping block.

The Santa Cruz County filter ban will go into effect January 1, 2027, provided two cities incorporated in the county follow suit. It is quite likely that this threshold will be met, according to local advocates. Environmental groups, led by Ocean Conservancy, were the driving force behind the campaign. But while the measure will undoubtedly reduce environmental degradation, it will also have a significant impact on health.

"Santa Cruz County's bold action sends a powerful message to the world: we can no longer ignore the environmental damage caused by filtered tobacco products," said Santa Cruz County Tobacco Education Coalition co-chair, Katie Thompson. "Every year, trillions of cigarette butts end up in our oceans, rivers, and city streets, leaching toxic chemicals into the environment. This policy is a critical step toward a cleaner, healthier planet — and we hope other regions will follow suit."

The cigarette filter problem is gaining attention worldwide. Last year, four U.S. state legislatures considered filter bans. Government agencies in the Netherlands and Belgium have recommended a ban, and the issue is under examination in several other countries as well as the European Union. A filter ban is on the table at the negotiations for an international UN treaty to end plastic pollution. The final negotiating session is in August.

Cigarette filters are the number one source of toxic waste as well as the number one source of plastic pollution. Approximately 4.5 trillion butts enter the environment each year. End to end, that many filters would circle the Earth three times. Cigarette butts leach toxins and carcinogens into the soil and waterways and are a major source of microplastics.

Cigarette filters were introduced in the 1950s not as a way to mitigate the health effects of smoking but as a marketing tool to convince people who smoked that they didn't need to quit over growing fears of cancer and other diseases. As the global community unmasks tobacco industry tactics this World No Tobacco Day, filters is a clear tactic we can correct. Cigarette filters do not lessen the harms of smoking; in fact, research shows that it may increase the odds of disease and death. Filters also mask the harshness of smoking, increasing youth initiation.

"Collecting or recycling cigarette butts is simply impossible," said Laurent Huber, Executive Director of Action on Smoking and Health (ASH). "The only solution is to take them off the market." ASH co-chairs a global group of public health organizations pushing for cigarette filter bans, including in the United Nations plastic pollution treaty negotiations.

ACTION ON SMOKING AND HEALTH
Founded in 1967, Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) is America's oldest anti-tobacco organization, dedicated to a world with ZERO tobacco deaths. Because tobacco is the leading cause of preventable death worldwide, ASH supports bold solutions proportionate to the magnitude of the problem. https://ash.org

Media Contact:
Megan Manning
manningm@ash.org
(202) 659-4310

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SOURCE ACTION ON SMOKING AND HEALTH