Lung Association Report Reveals District of Columbia Must Focus on Supporting Implementation for Flavored Tobacco Restrictions to Reduce Death and Disease from Tobacco Use

According to the American Lung Association’s 24th annual “State of Tobacco Control” report, released today, the District of Columbia’s grades show that the district must step up efforts to reduce tobacco use to protect communities. The district’s action on tobacco control and prevention is especially critical due to the dramatic rollback of federal tobacco prevention efforts in 2025. 

Tobacco use remains the nation’s leading cause of preventable death and disease, claiming the lives of more than 790 state residents each year. The report urges District lawmakers to focus on supporting implementation for flavored tobacco restrictions to curb tobacco use and ensuring that all tobacco laws are enforced in a consistent and equitable way.

The “State of Tobacco Control” report grades states and the District of Columbia in five areas that have been  proven to prevent and reduce tobacco use and save lives. In the 2026 report, the district received the following grades: 

1. Funding for State Tobacco Prevention Programs – Grade F
2. Strength of Smokefree Workplace Laws – Grade A
3. Level of State Tobacco Taxes – Grade A
4. Coverage and Access to Services to Quit Tobacco – Grade C
5. Ending the Sale of All Flavored Tobacco Products – Grade A 

In 2025, the tobacco control and prevention landscape fundamentally changed when the administration took a series of actions that weakened enforcement and jeopardized public health efforts across the country. These included the virtual elimination of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Office on Smoking and Health, major staffing cuts to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) Center for Tobacco Products and delaying Congressionally appropriated funding for nearly six months. As a result, tobacco control and quitline programs in all 50 states and the District of Columbia were left at risk of shutting down, with some states drastically reducing lifesaving services. 

“It is devastating to see the federal government largely abandon its tobacco control efforts. Walking away from the incredible progress the nation has made on reducing tobacco use over the past 50 years is unacceptable,” said Aleks Casper, Director of Advocacy at the American Lung Association in the District of Columbia. “The district needs to ramp up their tobacco prevention efforts even more to protect residents from disease and addiction caused by tobacco use. 

“In 2026, policymakers in the District must continue to focus on enforcing the law that removes all flavored tobacco products from the market and ensure that one agency within the District has oversight for tobbacco enforcement. To save more lives, the District must also fund tobacco prevention and quit smoking programs ,” said Casper.

Additionally, despite receiving $44,100,000 from tobacco settlement payments and tobacco taxes, the district  only funds tobacco control efforts at 30.6% of the level recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The Lung Association urges Mayor Bowser and the Council to increase funding for tobacco prevention and quit smoking programs.

Federal Grades Overview
The 2026 “State of Tobacco Control” report grades the federal government in five areas: 

• Federal Regulation of Tobacco Products – Grade D
• Federal Coverage of Quit Smoking Treatments – Grade D
• Level of Federal Tobacco Taxes – Grade F
• Federal Mass Media Campaigns to Prevent and Reduce Tobacco Use – Grade I*
• Federal Funding for Tobacco Prevention and Control – Grade: B

*The federal government gets an I for Incomplete in this category due to data not being able to be obtained about the duration, reach and frequency of the Real Cost campaign in 2025.

In the “State of Tobacco Control” report, the American Lung Association calls on the federal government to fully restore critical tobacco control programs, including CDC’s Office on Smoking and Health. Federal leadership is essential. In the current absence of federal leadership, the organization is calling on state legislatures to advance strong, fact-based tobacco control policies that protect communities and reduce tobacco use. 

To learn more about this year’s “State of Tobacco Control” grades and take action, visit Lung.org/sotc.

State grades in “State of Tobacco Control” reflect actions taken by elected officials and do not reflect on the hard work of state tobacco control programs or advocates.