Table 1.

Retailer reduction policies and examples

Policy Approach	Definition	Example
Rate or number reduction (“capping”)	The number of retailers permitted to purchase a license to sell tobacco is capped at a certain number within a geographic area or at a rate per population density.	In Philadelphia in 2016, there was a cap set on the number of licensed tobacco retailers of 1 per 1,000 people per planning district.34
Ban of sales in specific retailer types	Purchasing of a license to sell tobacco is prohibited in specific types of retailers, often because of the retailer’s sale of other goods is in conflict with tobacco.	In San Francisco in 2008, sale of tobacco was prohibited in pharmacies, the first policy of its kind in the country.25
School buffer	Retailers licensed to sell tobacco are required to be outside of a minimum distance from schools.	In Renville County, Minnesota, in 2015, licensed tobacco retailers were prohibited from operating within 1,000 feet of schools, playgrounds, houses of worship, or other youth-oriented facilities.35
Retailer buffer (“declustering”)	Retailers licensed to sell tobacco are required to be outside of a minimum distance from each other, breaking up “clusters” of retailers.	In Benton County, Oregon, in 2016, new licensed tobacco retailers are prohibited from opening within 1,000 feet of another tobacco retailer.36