Nevada Highlights
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Tobacco use remains the leading cause of preventable death and disease in the United States and in Nevada. To address this enormous toll, the American Lung Association calls for the following actions to be taken by Nevada's elected officials:
- Increase funding for the state's tobacco prevention and control program;
- Protect and expand the Nevada Clean Indoor Air Act; and
- Update the state tobacco retailer licensing program.
During the 2025 legislative session, several bills were introduced by the tobacco industry including one that would have created an e-cigarette product registry based on U.S. Food and Drug Administration pre-market tobacco application status that was pushed by the tobacco industry in multiple states. Another bill would have created a new definition for heated tobacco products and taxed them at half the rate of conventional cigarettes. Fortunately, neither bill advanced to the governor's office, thanks in part to the Lung Association and its partners.
Funding for the state tobacco prevention and control program remained at about $950,000 per fiscal year in the two-year state budget approved in 2025. This is several million dollars less than in the recent past. If federal funding from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention does not get allocated in future years, significant declines in services to help tobacco users quit will result.
The legislature is only scheduled to convene in odd-numbered years and is not expected to meet in 2026. The American Lung Association in Nevada will continue to build support and political will in order to advance comprehensive smokefree protections at the local and state level. Additionally, the Lung Association will work to educate lawmakers about the importance of well-funded tobacco prevention and control programs.
Nevada Facts |
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|---|---|
| Healthcare Costs Due to Smoking: | $1,080,272,434 |
| Adult Smoking Rate: | 14.20% |
| Adult Tobacco Use Rate: | 21.90% |
| High School Smoking Rate: | 3.00% |
| High School Tobacco Use Rate: | N/A |
| Middle School Smoking Rate: | 2.00% |
| Smoking Attributable Deaths per Year: | 4,050 |
Adult smoking and tobacco use data come from CDC's 2023 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System; adult tobacco use includes cigarettes, smokeless tobacco and e-cigarettes. High school smoking data come from CDC's 2023 Youth Risk Behavior Survey. Middle school smoking rate is taken from the 2023 Nevada Youth Risk Behavior Survey. A current high school tobacco use rate is not available for this state.
Health impact information is taken from the Smoking-Attributable Mortality, Morbidity and Economic Costs (SAMMEC) software. Smoking-attributable deaths reflect average annual estimates for the period 2005-2009 and are calculated for persons aged 35 years and older. Smoking-attributable healthcare expenditures are based on 2004 smoking-attributable fractions and 2009 personal healthcare expenditure data. Deaths and expenditures should not be compared by state.
Health impact information is taken from the Smoking-Attributable Mortality, Morbidity and Economic Costs (SAMMEC) software. Smoking-attributable deaths reflect average annual estimates for the period 2005-2009 and are calculated for persons aged 35 years and older. Smoking-attributable healthcare expenditures are based on 2004 smoking-attributable fractions and 2009 personal healthcare expenditure data. Deaths and expenditures should not be compared by state.
Nevada Information
Learn more about your state specific legislation regarding efforts toward effective Tobacco Control.