The American Lung Association’s 21st annual “State of Tobacco Control” report reveals that state policymakers and the federal government need to do more to protect the public from tobacco. The 2023 report highlights the states with the best and worst policies to prevent and reduce tobacco use and finds dramatic differences between the strength of states’ tobacco control laws. The new report also shows new action at the federal level to prevent youth tobacco use.
More About “State of Tobacco Control”
“State of Tobacco Control” 2023 is focused on proven policies that federal and state governments can enact to prevent and reduce tobacco use. These include:
- Tobacco prevention and quit smoking funding, programs and robust health insurance coverage;
- Comprehensive smokefree laws that eliminate smoking in all public places and workplaces;
- Increased tobacco taxes;
- Eliminating the sale of all flavored tobacco products;
- Full implementation of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act; and
- Hard hitting federal media campaigns to encourage smokers to quit and prevent young people from starting to use tobacco.
The report assigns grades based on laws and regulations designed to prevent and reduce tobacco use, including e-cigarettes in effect as of January 2023. The federal government, all 50 state governments and the District of Columbia are graded to determine if their laws and policies are adequately protecting citizens from the enormous toll tobacco use takes on lives, health and the economy.
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Cooper M, Park-Lee E, Ren C, Cornelius M, Jamal A, Cullen KA. Notes from the Field: E-cigarette Use Among Middle and High School Students — United States, 2022. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep 2022; 71:1283–1285.
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Cornelius ME, Loretan CG, Wang TW, Jamal A, Homa DM. Tobacco Product Use Among Adults — United States, 2020. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep 2022; 71:397–405.
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U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The Health Consequences of Smoking: 50 Years of Progress. A Report of the Surgeon General. Atlanta, GA, 2014.
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Cornelius ME, Loretan CG, Wang TW, Jamal A, Homa DM. Tobacco Product Use Among Adults — United States, 2020. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep 2022; 71:397–405.
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Ibid.
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Tsai J, Homa DM, Neff LJ, Sosnoff CS, Wang L, Blount BC, Melstrom PC, King BA. Trends in Secondhand Smoke Exposure, 2011-2018: Impact and Implications of Expanding Serum Cotinine Range. Am J Prev Med. 2021 Sep;61(3): e109-e117. doi: 10.1016/j.amepre.2021.04.004.
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Mendez D, Le TTT. Consequences of a match made in hell: the harm caused by menthol smoking to the African American population over 1980–2018. Tob Control 2021;0:1–3.
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Gentzke AS, Wang TW, Cornelius M, et al. Tobacco Product Use and Associated Factors Among Middle and High School Students — National Youth Tobacco Survey, United States, 2021. MMWR Surveill Summ 2022;71(No. SS-5): 1–29.
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Park-Lee E, Ren C, Cooper M, Cornelius M, Jamal A, Cullen KA. Tobacco Product Use Among Middle and High School Students — United States, 2022. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep 2022;71:1429–1435.
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Cooper M, Park-Lee E, Ren C, Cornelius M, Jamal A, Cullen KA. Notes from the Field: E-cigarette Use Among Middle and High School Students — United States, 2022. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep 2022;71:1283–1285.
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Gentzke AS, Wang TW, Cornelius M, et al. Tobacco Product Use and Associated Factors Among Middle and High School Students — National Youth Tobacco Survey, United States, 2021. MMWR Surveill Summ 2022;71(No. SS-5): 1–29.
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Cornelius ME, Loretan CG, Wang TW, Jamal A, Homa DM. Tobacco Product Use Among Adults — United States, 2020. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep 2022;71:397–405.
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Mclean, JC, M. Pesko, S. Hill. “Public Insurance Expansions and Smoking Cessation Medications”. Economic Inquiry, May 7, 2019. Accessed at: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/ecin.12794
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ASPire Center. “Tobacco Retailers.” Available at: Tobacco Retailers - ASPiRE Center. Accessed 11/11/2021.
Page last updated: January 25, 2023