New Mexico Highlights

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

  1. Increase funding for the state's tobacco prevention and control program;
  2. Increase excise taxes on tobacco products by $1.00 per pack or more; and
  3. Remove statewide preemption for tobacco product sales laws.
The American Lung Association provides leadership in convening partners and guiding public policy efforts to continue the state's success in reducing the impact of tobacco among New Mexicans. Together with our partners, the Lung Association works to ensure tobacco control and prevention remains a priority for state legislators and local decision makers.

In 2025, the Lung Association's focus was to continue to educate legislators, legislative staff, and the general public about smoking and the importance of providing tobacco cessation programs for adults and youth, and the dangers of secondhand smoke. Funding for the state tobacco control program from tobacco Master Settlement Agreement dollars has seen cuts in recent years and falls well short of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention-recommended levels.

During the 2025 legislative session, the Lung Association along with our partners continued to talk to lawmakers about the importance of tobacco excise taxes. Senate bill 20, as introduced, would have raised the excise tax on cigarettes by $1.00 per pack while also raising the excise tax on other tobacco products, including e-cigarettes. The bill was later pared back to only address taxes on other tobacco products, but ultimately did not advance through the legislature. There was also a bill introduced by the tobacco industry 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 industry in multiple states. Due to advocacy by the Lung Association and partners, the bill never received a hearing.

Moving forward in 2026, the American Lung Association will once again make it a priority to educate our legislature and communities about the dangers of tobacco use as well as the importance of a well-funded tobacco prevention and cessation programs.

New Mexico Facts
Healthcare Costs Due to Smoking: $843,869,235
Adult Smoking Rate: 12.20%
Adult Tobacco Use Rate: 21.00%
High School Smoking Rate: 3.20%
High School Tobacco Use Rate: 18.30%
Middle School Smoking Rate: N/A
Smoking Attributable Deaths per Year: 2,630
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 and tobacco use data come from CDC's 2023 Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System. A current middle school smoking 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.

New Mexico Information

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

State Grades Report Laws & Policies Historical Data