Utah Highlights

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

The American Lung Association in Utah supports evidence-based policy interventions to reduce tobacco use rates and prevent youth initiation. Together with our partners, the Lung Association works to ensure tobacco control and prevention remains a priority for state legislators and local decisionmakers.

In 2025, the Lung Association continued to educate elected officials and the general public about the negative public health impacts of tobacco use in Utah, and, in particular, the ongoing importance of providing adequately funded tobacco prevention and cessation programs. The legislature defeated a bill that would have made changes to the state's controversial state law limiting sales of flavored e-cigarettes, except menthol. The Lung Association continues to advocate for ending the sale of all flavored tobacco products, particularly menthol cigarettes and flavored cigars.

In fiscal year 2026, Utah maintains its standing among the top states in the country for tobacco prevention and cessation funding. The program is funded by a combination of tobacco Master Settlement Agreement dollars, tobacco tax revenue and e-cigarette tax revenue. As federal grants from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Office on Smoking and Health are potentially in jeopardy, maintaining strong state funding must be a priority to ensure Utah's track record of effective tobacco prevention programs continues.

The American Lung Association in Utah will continue to educate policymakers about the dangers of tobacco use and the importance of a well-funded tobacco prevention and cessation program. A significant increase in taxes for all tobacco products remains the top tobacco control policy goal in Utah. Raising the price of tobacco products, including through higher taxes, remains one of the most effective ways to discourage youth initiation and encourage people who use tobacco products to quit. Utah's legislature last raised the cigarette tax in 2010.