06-02-2025
Anti-smoking spending by state, mapped
Only a single state — Maine — is funding its anti-tobacco efforts at or above the current Centers for Disease Control and Prevention-recommended level, a new report finds.
Why it matters: Cigarette smoking has faded significantly over the past few decades but remains the country's leading cause of preventable deaths — and causes 1 in 5 of all U.S. deaths, according to the CDC.
What they found: Maine (107.4%), Utah (90.2%) and Oklahoma (89.8%) lead the nation in meeting or exceeding the CDC's recommended funding levels for tobacco prevention and cessation (quitting), per the American Lung Association's new "State of Tobacco Control" report.
Texas (3.6%), Georgia (4%) and Tennessee (4.8%) are furthest from their CDC-recommended levels.
That's based on allocated spending for fiscal year 2025.
How it works: The CDC's recommendations vary from state to state based on several factors, including statewide tobacco use, the share of the state population living in poverty, and the local cost of media outreach.
The big picture: At the state level, the tobacco industry spent 2024 seeking "to protect specific tobacco products from taxation and to pass legislation that would result in state governments pursuing penalties against smaller competitors that sell e-cigarette products illegally in the U.S.," the Lung Association report says.
What they're saying: In a statement, the association president and CEO Harold Wimmer pointed to recent data showing that youth tobacco use is at a 25-year low as a big win — but added that "the number of middle and high school students who still use tobacco products — 2.25 million — is too high."
"In addition, 36 million adults in the U.S. still smoke cigarettes."
The report also argues that the Biden administration's failure to ban menthol cigarettes and flavored cigars "will result in continued death and disease caused by smoking, especially among historically marginalized communities."
What's next: President Trump ran in part on a "Make America Healthy Again" agenda but also stressed business deregulation and a hands-off government approach — a combination that makes it hard to predict how his administration will treat the tobacco industry.
