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

  1. Provide increased funding for the New Hampshire tobacco control and prevention program;
  2. Defend against rollbacks to and close loopholes in smokefree laws; and
  3. End the sale of menthol and all other flavored tobacco products.
The 2023 session of the General Court of New Hampshire was focused on educating lawmakers on the need to proactively address the tobacco use rates in the state and on evidenced-based policy solutions.

Despite the New Hampshire Tobacco Prevention program being woefully underfunded at only approximately 10% of the level recommended by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the level of state funding was only slightly increased in 2023. Significantly increasing funding for New Hampshire’s tobacco prevention and treatment efforts remains the top priority for the 2024 session. New Hampshire along with dozens of other states has received funding as a result of a settlement with the e-cigarette company Juul. It is imperative that the funding the state has received be allocated to New Hampshire’s tobacco prevention program to address the youth vaping epidemic.

The most significant policy victory in 2023 was the reauthorization of the New Hampshire Medicaid expansion program – Granite Advantage ensuring continued access to healthcare and tobacco treatment and cessation for New Hampshire residents enrolled in the program.

The American Lung Association in New Hampshire will continue to work with our coalition partners including the Tobacco Free New Hampshire Network, New Hampshire Public Health Association, the American Heart Association, Breathe New Hampshire, American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network and others to advance tobacco control and prevention efforts. As the legislature begins its work in 2024, we will continue to educate policy makers, Granite State residents and business leaders and the media of the importance of the Lung Association's goals to reduce tobacco use and protect public health.

New Hampshire Facts
Healthcare Costs Due to Smoking: $728,895,693
Adult Smoking Rate: 11.20%
High School Smoking Rate: 5.50%
High School Tobacco Use Rate: N/A
Middle School Smoking Rate: N/A
Smoking Attributable Deaths per Year: 1,940
Adult smoking data come from CDC's 2022 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System. High school smoking rate is taken from CDCs 2019 Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System. A current high school tobacco use rate and middle school smoking rate are 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.

New Hampshire Information

Learn more about your state specific legislation regarding efforts towards effective Tobacco Control.

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