Idaho Highlights

Tobacco use remains the leading cause of preventable death and disease in the United States and in Idaho. To address this enormous toll, the American Lung Association calls for the following actions to be taken by Idaho's elected officials:

During the 2025 legislative session, tobacco prevention partners educated legislators about the impact of commercial tobacco use and addiction in Idaho and the policies and programs that reduce the health impacts of tobacco use. The Joint Legislative Millennium Fund Committee, which is responsible for recommending how tobacco settlement money is allocated in the State of Idaho budget, focused their funding recommendations on programs and projects meant to reduce youth substance use generally but continued to acknowledge the harm of youth tobacco use and youth vaping in particular. Tobacco control partners and youth advocates advanced conversations about the importance of increasing tobacco taxes and educated lawmakers about how tobacco retail licensure can support efforts that keep tobacco products out of the hands of youth.

Idaho's 2025 legislative session saw additional activity from the tobacco industry as they worked to establish a nicotine vapor product “registry” in Idaho, a tobacco industry priority. Similar proposals have been advanced in many states by major tobacco companies to reduce competition from small businesses and international markets, specifically e-cigarette production in China.

The State of Idaho's Tobacco Prevention and Control Program, Project Filter, housed within the Department of Health and Welfare, conducts tobacco prevention and control activities that prevent youth tobacco use, eliminate exposure to secondhand smoke, promote quitting among youth and adults, and eliminate health disparities. Project Filter's activities prioritize people with behavioral health conditions, rural Idahoans disproportionately impacted by tobacco use, and youth and young adults to prevent tobacco use.

During the 2026 legislative session, partners will advocate for increased investment in evidence-based tobacco prevention policies and programs to keep youth from picking up their first nicotine product and help those already addicted to quit, support adults in their quit attempts and reduce exposure to secondhand smoke and e-cigarette aerosol.

Action is needed to reduce youth access to tobacco and nicotine products and to create parity between electronic cigarettes and other tobacco products, including taxing electronic devices equivalent to cigarettes and other tobacco products. Similarly, work is needed to set the tobacco retail licensure fee at a level that supports required enforcement checks. The Lung Association will continue to work with partners in 2026 towards these goals and to support local communities in passing policies that protect residents from the negative effects of tobacco and e-cigarette use and from breathing secondhand smoke and e-cigarette aerosol.