Tobacco use in Connecticut 2018

Cigarette use: Connecticut*

• In 2016, 13.4 percent of adults smoked. Nationally, the rate was 17.1 percent.¹
• In 2017, 7.9 percent of high school students smoked on at least one day in the past 30 days. Nationally, the rate was 8.8 percent.²

Other tobacco product use: Connecticut

• In 2015, 2.3 percent of adults used e-cigarettes and 3.0 percent smoked cigars.³
• In 2015, 7.2 percent of high school students used e-cigarettes, 2.8 percent use smokeless tobacco and 4.5 percent smoked cigars on at least one day in the past 30 days.⁴

Economics of tobacco use and tobacco control

• Connecticut received $516.3 million (estimated) in tobacco settlement payments and taxes in fiscal year 2018.⁵
• Of this, the state allocated $0 in state funds to tobacco prevention in fiscal year 2018, zero percent of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s annual spending target.⁵
• Smoking-related health care costs: $2.03 billion per year⁵
• Smoking-related losses in productivity: $1.25 billion per year⁶

Connecticut tobacco laws

Tobacco taxes

• Connecticut has the highest cigarette tax in the U.S., along with New York, for its cigarette tax of $4.35 per pack (enacted December 2017), compared with the national average of $1.73. (Missouri has the lowest tax at 17 cents.)⁷ ⁸
• All other tobacco products are taxed at 50 percent of the manufacturer’s list price.⁸ ⁹

Clean indoor air ordinances

• Smoking is prohibited in all government workplaces, schools, restaurants, bars (tobacco bars are exempt), casinos/gaming establishments (tribal establishments are exempt), retail stores and recreational/cultural facilities.9
• Smoking restrictions are required in childcare facilities and private workplaces.⁹

Youth access laws

• The minimum age of sale for tobacco products in Connecticut is 18. Active duty military personnel are exempt.⁸ ⁹
• Establishments are required to post signs stating that sales to minors are prohibited.⁸

Quitting statistics and benefits

• The CDC estimates 55.2 percent of daily adult smokers in Connecticut quit smoking for one or more days in 2016.¹⁰
• In 2014, the Affordable Care Act required that Medicaid programs cover all quit medications.⁹**
• Connecticut’s state quit line invests 16 cents per smoker, compared with the national average of $2.10.⁹
• Connecticut does not have a private insurance mandate provision for quitting tobacco.⁹

Notes and references

Updated June 2018

*National and state-level prevalence numbers reflect the most recent data available. This may differ across state fact sheets.

**The seven recommended quitting medications are NRT gum, NRT patch, NRT nasal spray, NRT inhaler, NRT lozenge, Varenicline (Chantix) and Bupropion (Zyban). Fiore MC, et al. Treating Tobacco Use and Dependence: 2008 Update. Clinical Practice Guideline. Rockville, MD: US Department of Health and Human Services. Public Health Service: May 2008.

1. CDC, Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, 2016.
2. CDC, Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System, 2017.
3. CDC, State-Specific Prevalence of Tobacco Product Use Among Adults - United States, 2014-2015, MMWR.
4. Connecticut Youth Tobacco Survey, 2015.
5. Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, Broken Promises to Our Children: a State-by-State Look at the 1998 State Tobacco Settlement 19 Years Later FY2018, 2017.
6. Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, Toll of Tobacco in the United States, 2018.
7. Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, State Cigarette Excise Tax Rates & Rankings, 2018.
8. American Lung Association, SLATI State Reports, 2017.
9. American Lung Association, State of Tobacco Control, 2018.
10. CDC, Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, State Tobacco Activities Tracking and Evaluation System, 2016.