Voices for Consumer Choice is an advocacy group supporting the rights of adults who are 21 and older to be free to make their own decisions about regulated products such as tobacco and alcohol. ¹ The advocacy group is operated by Altria Client Services LLC, a part of Altria Group Inc., which is one of the world’s largest tobacco companies, with holdings that include Phillip Morris, a major tobacco product manufacturer. ²

Background

Voices for Consumer Choice advocates that adults who are 21 and older should be free to make their own decisions about regulated products such as tobacco and alcohol. ³

Altria Client Services LLC, which is part of the larger Altria Group, which owns numerous tobacco-products brands, operates Voices for Consumer Choice. Altria’s family of companies includes Philip Morris Capital Corporation. ⁴

 

Altria Client Services LLC operates on behalf of tobacco brands Phillip Morris USA, U.S. Smokeless Tobacco Company, John Middleton, and Helix Innovations. ^{5 6}

As of2021, Altria Group operated at least three “grassroots communication channels” that it disclosed on its annual shareholder report: Voices for Consumer Choice; Tobacco Issues, which is for tobacco retailers and trade members; and Tobacco Rights, a website that promotes the rights of adults over 21 who are tobacco consumers. ⁷

Policy Advocacy

Voices for Consumer Choice advocates for “fair taxation and reasonable regulation of legal products.” ⁸

Altria says that Voices for Consumer Choice provides adults, defined as consumers aged 21 or older, with information on legislative and regulatory issues regarding what it calls adult consumer choice. ⁹

Altria claims Voices for Consumer Choice members sent about 30,000 communications to lawmakers at the federal, state, and local levels in 2023. ¹⁰

In 2023, Altria’s annual political activity report claimed with help from Voices for Consumer Choice that it encouraged tobacco users to vote in statewide elections that included governor’s races in Kentucky, Mississippi, and Louisiana. ¹¹

Voices for Consumer Choice says it supports “reasonable regulation,” and argues that tobacco, alcohol and nicotine should be “regulated by the government, especially to enforce laws against selling these products to individuals under 21.” ¹² But, it adds, “regulations should be reasonable, not extreme.” The preferable option, the group says, is “to give adult consumers the information they need to make the best choices for themselves.” ¹³

Voices for Consumer Choice says it opposes laws that “take away regulated flavored products.” ¹⁴ It also opposes bans of the retail sale of alcohol and tobacco products, and contends it would create underground criminal markets that would make communities less safe. ¹⁵

The project says it stands for prevention of underaged tobacco and alcohol use. ¹⁶

Voices for Consumer Choice regularly posts on social media comparing regulation efforts of tobacco to prohibition of alcohol. One post says, “Prohibition didn’t work for alcohol, and it won’t work for tobacco. Product bans only push sales to unregulated markets.” Another post similarly notes, “Prohibition failed in the 1920s, but some lawmakers are STILL pushing for bans on flavored tobacco. This needs to stop!” The group also posted, “We are committed to protecting adult consumers’ right to buy legal, highly regulated products like tobacco and alcohol.” ¹⁷

Voices for Consumer Choice argues for “fair taxation” of tobacco and alcohol products. It says heavy taxation can “severely limit adult choices,” would “create illegal markets;” will “hurt law-abiding businesses in our communities;” “place an unequal burden on working people;” and “unfairly force consumers to pay to solve states’ budget problems.” ¹⁸

Voices for Consumer Choice further contends it promotes “harm reduction” for tobacco consumers and alternatives for smokers to cigarettes. But it argues regulation and taxation can take away harm reduction options on the market. ¹⁹

1. “Issues.” Voices for Consumer Choice. Accessed August 16, 2024. https://4consumerchoice.com/issues/
2. “About Us.” Voices for Consumer Choice. Accessed August 16, 2024. https://4consumerchoice.com/about/
3. “Issues.” Voices for Consumer Choice. Accessed August 16, 2024. https://4consumerchoice.com/issues/
4.  “About Us.” Voices for Consumer Choice. Accessed August 16, 2024. https://4consumerchoice.com/about/
5.  “About Us.” Voices for Consumer Choice. Accessed August 16, 2024. https://4consumerchoice.com/about/
6. Cam. “The Four Most Powerful Reasons to Quit Smoking are Not About You.” Medium. September 29, 2021. Accessed August 16, 2024. https://medium.com/illumination/here-are-the-most-important-reasons-to-quit-smoking-58c03ab9aa58
7.  Altria Group, Inc. 2021 Notice of Annual Meeting of Shareholders. Securities and Exchange Commission. Accessed August 16, 2024. https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/764180/000120677421001034/mo3763741-def14a.htm
8. “About Us.” Voices for Consumer Choice. Accessed August 16, 2024. https://4consumerchoice.com/about/
9. “Government Affairs.” Altria. Accessed August 16, 2024. https://www.altria.com/about-altria/government-affairs
10.  “Altria Lobbying and Political Activity Annual Report 2023.” Altria. Accessed August 17, 2024. https://www.altria.com/-/media/Project/Altria/Altria/about-altria/government-affairs/transparency-and-integrity/transparency-integrity-report.pdf
11. “Altria Lobbying and Political Activity Annual Report 2023.” Altria. Accessed August 17, 2024. https://www.altria.com/-/media/Project/Altria/Altria/about-altria/government-affairs/transparency-and-integrity/transparency-integrity-report.pdf
12. “Issues.” Voices for Consumer Choice. Accessed August 16, 2024. https://4consumerchoice.com/issues/
13. “ Issues.” Voices for Consumer Choice. Accessed August 16, 2024. https://4consumerchoice.com/issues/
14. “Issues.” Voices for Consumer Choice. Accessed August 16, 2024. https://4consumerchoice.com/issues/
15. “Issues.” Voices for Consumer Choice. Accessed August 16, 2024. https://4consumerchoice.com/issues/
16.  “Issues.” Voices for Consumer Choice. Accessed August 16, 2024. https://4consumerchoice.com/issues/
17. “Voices for Consumer Choice.” Facebook. Accessed August 16, 2024. https://www.facebook.com/4ConsumerChoice/
18. “Issues.” Voices for Consumer Choice. Accessed August 16, 2024. https://4consumerchoice.com/issues/
19. “Issues.” Voices for Consumer Choice. Accessed August 16, 2024. https://4consumerchoice.com/issues/