National retail tobacco association protecting retailers' right to sell tobacco products and the right of adults to purchase and use tobacco products.
Value of NATO Membership:
Membership in NATO is open to all retailers that sell tobacco products, tobacco wholesalers, and tobacco manufacturers. The value of membership in NATO can be measured by the benefits members receive from the association’s specialization in tobacco legislative and regulatory issues, the organization’s grassroots legislative efforts, its local advocacy project, the expertise of NATO staff on FDA rules and tobacco issues, and the acclaimed NATO News Bulletin for its tobacco legislative updates and regulatory news.
NATO is the principle industry resource for answering questions about tobacco legislation and FDA regulations. It is the only national retail trade association that monitors tobacco-related legislation on a local, state, and federal level and assists its retail members in responding to proposed tobacco legislation and regulations.
Specialization: NATO is the only national retail trade association that specializes exclusively in tobacco issues on the local, state and federal levels. No other trade organization devotes all of its resources and staff to informing, advising and assisting tobacco retailers on tobacco legislation and FDA regulations. NATO is the best ally that a retailer can have in protecting the right to sell legal tobacco products.
Legislative Advocacy: NATO was founded on the belief that tobacco retailers need to become engaged in the legislative process to protect the right to sell legal tobacco products in order to protect their businesses. NATO provides association members the information and tools needed to make sending a letter or calling a lawmaker a simple process that can impact the outcome of legislation.
Local Project: In 2012, NATO launched a national project to respond to proposed local retail tobacco restrictions and tobacco taxes. Since its launch, the NATO Local Project has helped hundreds of retail stores respond to local proposed regulations. Across the country, local governments are proposing ordinances to ban the sale of flavored tobacco products, eliminate tobacco displays from public view, prohibit tobacco coupon redemption, limit tobacco promotional pricing, set minimum cigar package sizes, raise the legal age to purchase tobacco products, increase local tobacco tax rates, limit the number of retail stores allowed to sell tobacco products, and ban self-service displays in adult-only tobacco stores.
FDA Compliance and Staff Expertise: The NATO staff has a wealth of knowledge about FDA tobacco regulations and rules and assists members in understanding the regulatory requirements and how to comply with federal tobacco regulations. Also, NATO staff members are experts on legislative issues and help members become involved in the legislative process to protect their businesses.
News Resource: The NATO News Bulletin is an acclaimed electronic news update that contains up-to-date information about pending local, state and federal legislation and FDA regulations. The information that retailers, wholesalers and manufacturers need to know is found in the weekly NATO News Bulletin.
Legal Resource: When a member has a legal question on legislation or FDA regulations, a call to NATO results in a prompt response from NATO Executive Director and Legal Counsel Thomas Briant or association staff, who find the answer to the question. Also, NATO sues when necessary to protect the rights of tobacco retailers, including bringing lawsuits against Worcester, Massachusetts for its tobacco advertising ban, which a federal court has now overturned, and against Providence, Rhode Island for its flavored tobacco sales ban and promotional pricing restriction, which is currently on appeal.
NATO Show: The premier annual tobacco trade show for retailers and wholesalers, with free admission for NATO members to the show floor and educational seminars as well as exclusive event access. For more information, visit www.NATOShow.com.
The National Association of Tobacco Outlets, Inc. (NATO) is a national retail tobacco association organized to enhance the common business interests of all tobacco retailers and to monitor and assist members in responding to tobacco-related legislation on the local, state and federal levels.
To accomplish these objectives, NATO will:
--Take a pro-active approach that informs and educates elected officials on the local, state and national levels about the impact that proposed tobacco-related legislation would have on tobacco retailers and the individual rights and the freedom on choice of the adult customers served by tobacco retailers.
--Inform NATO members about pending tobacco legislation and regulations through the Tobacco E-News weekly electronic newsletter and assist members in responding to local, state and federal legislation and regulations.
--Provide a forum through the new NATO Show for manufacturers and distributors to exhibit their products and services and to conduct educational seminars for retailers and wholesalers.
The association recognizes the need for and strongly encourages all of its members to uphold and abide by the highest professional standards when serving the adult public and to act in a manner that complies with all local, state and federal tobacco-related laws and regulations.
