Study: 41% of Phoenix public schools within 1,000 feet of tobacco sellers

PHOENIX — A recent study found 41.1% of public schools in Phoenix to be within 1,000 feet of tobacco or vaping retailers.

Researchers from the Stanford University School of Medicine, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Washington University in St. Louis found that Phoenix has ten times more tobacco sellers in low-income than high-income areas.

“The tobacco industry is consciously putting their products in the place where kids will see them, literally almost every day, even during this unusual period of time,” President of Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids Matthew Meyers told KTAR News 92.3 FM.

There are 1,067 venues that sell tobacco within 1,000 feet of public schools in Phoenix.

He added 5.3 million kids use tobacco and vapes nationwide.

“If we eliminated flavored tobacco products from these stores, we would see the most dramatic drop of youth use of these products,” Myers said.

Nationwide, 60% of public schools are within 1,000 feet of tobacco sellers.

The new study also found Phoenix has 16 times more locations where tobacco products are available than McDonald’s locations. There are also and eight times more venues that sell tobacco than Starbucks locations.

New York City, Philadelphia and Miami top the rankings with more than 90% of schools within 1,000 feet of various tobacco sellers.

Follow @ktarpetersamore