Pierce County Limits Tobacco Advertising

Come March, children in Pierce County won’t be seeing too much of Joe Camel on their way to school.

The Tacoma-Pierce County Health Board voted unanimously Wednesday to impose sweeping restrictions on how tobacco products can be advertised in the county.

The new rules, among the toughest in the nation, are intended to cut down on teen smoking. They prohibit tobacco advertising within 1,000 feet of schools, playgrounds and other places where children congregate. Outside of those zones, all tobacco ads that can be seen from the street must be only in black-and-white type and can only list brand, price and availability.

The restrictions affect billboards, bus signs and storefront signage visible from the street.

Dr. Federico Cruz-Uribe, director of the county health department, hailed the vote as one of the most significant steps taken on a local basis to limit the influence tobacco companies have on children.

“This measure gives us an important new tool in our ongoing effort to keep kids from ever trying tobacco products,” he said.