Tobacco use in Hawaii 2018

Cigarette use: Hawaii*

• In 2016, 13.1 percent of adults smoked. Nationally, the rate was 17.1 percent.¹
• In 2017, 8.1 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: Hawaii

• In 2015, 2.8 percent of adults used e-cigarettes, 0.9 percent used smokeless tobacco and 1.6 percent smoked cigars.²
• In 2017, 25.5 percent of high school students used e-cigarettes on at least one day in the past 30 days. Nationally, the rate was 13.2 percent.²

Economics of tobacco use and tobacco control

• Hawaii received $163.9 million (estimated) in tobacco settlement payments and taxes in fiscal year 2018.³
• Of this, the state allocated $6.6 million in state funds to tobacco prevention in fiscal year 2018, just 48.1 percent of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s annual spending target.³
• Smoking-related health care costs: $526 million per year³
• Smoking-related losses in productivity: $387.3 million per year⁴

Hawaii tobacco laws

Tobacco taxes

• Hawaii is ranked 5th in the U.S. for its cigarette tax of $3.20 per pack (enacted July 2010), compared with the national average of $1.73. (Connecticut and New York have the highest tax at $4.35 and Missouri has the lowest at 17 cents.)⁵ ⁶
• Little cigars are taxed at 15 cents per cigar and large cigars are taxed at 50 percent of the wholesale prices. All other tobacco products are taxed at 70 percent of the manufacturer’s list price.⁵ ⁶

Clean indoor air ordinances

• Smoking is prohibited in all government workplaces, private workplaces, schools, childcare facilities, restaurants, bars, retail stores and recreational/cultural facilities.⁵ ⁶
• There are no smoking restrictions in casino/gaming establishments.⁶

Youth access laws

• The minimum age of sale for tobacco products is 21. Hawaii was the first state to establish a Tobacco 21 policy for tobacco products.⁵ ⁶
• Establishments are required to post signs stating that sales to minors are prohibited.⁵ ⁶
• Minors are prohibited from buying electronic smoking devices, including e-cigarettes.⁵

Quitting statistics and benefits

• The CDC estimates 51.1 percent of daily adult smokers in Hawaii quit smoking for one or more days in 2016.⁸
• In 2014, the Affordable Care Act required that Medicaid programs cover all quit medications. However, there is not yet evidence that the Hawaii Medicaid program has complied with this requirement regarding NRT nasal spray, NRT lozenge and NRT inhaler.⁶**
• Hawaii’s state quit line invests $5.56 per smoker, compared with the national average of $2.10.⁶
• Hawaii does not have a private insurance mandate provision for quitting tobacco.⁶

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. 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.
4. Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, Toll of Tobacco in the United States, 2018.
5. American Lung Association, SLATI State Reports, 2017.
6. American Lung Association, State of Tobacco Control, 2018.
7. Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, State Cigarette Excise Tax Rates & Rankings, 2018.
8. CDC, Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, State Tobacco Activities Tracking and Evaluation System, 2016.