Tobacco use in Louisiana 2021

• In 2020, 18.3% of adults smoked. Nationally, the rate was 15.5%.¹
• In 2019, 8.4% of high school students in Louisiana smoked cigarettes on at least one day in the past 30 days. Nationally, the rate was 6.0%.²

• In 2018, 5.7% of adults in Louisiana used e-cigarettes. ³
• In 2020,  5.5% of adults in Louisiana used smokeless tobacco.³
• In 2019, 22.9% of high school students in Louisiana used electronic vapor products on at least one day in the past 30 days. Nationally, the rate was 32.7%.²
• In 2019, 5.8% of high school students in Louisiana used chewing tobacco, snuff or dip on at least one day in the past 30 days. Nationally, the rate was 3.8%.²
• In 2019, 11.7% of high school students in Louisiana smoked cigars, cigarillos or little cigars on at least one day in the past 30 days. Nationally, the rate was 5.7%.²

• Louisiana received $440.5 million (estimated) in revenue from tobacco settlement payments and taxes in fiscal year 2021.⁴
• Of this, the state allocated $5.2 million in state funds to tobacco prevention in fiscal year 2021, 8.8% of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s annual spending target.⁴
• Smoking-related health care costs: $1.89 billion per year.⁴
• Smoking-related losses in productivity: $2.49 billion per year.⁵

Tobacco taxes

• Louisiana is ranked 38th in the U.S. for its cigarette tax of $1.08 per pack (enacted April 2016), compared with the national average of $1.91. (The District of Columbia has the highest tax at $4.50 and Missouri has the lowest at 17 cents.)^6-8
• Smokeless tobacco is taxed at 20% of the invoice price and smoking tobacco is taxed at 33% of the invoice price. Cigars are taxed between 8% and 20%, depending on the manufacturer’s invoice price. E-cigarettes and vapor products are taxed at 5 cents per milliliter of consumable nicotine liquid solution.^5,6

Clean indoor air ordinances

• Smoking is prohibited in all government and private workplaces, schools, childcare facilities, restaurants, retail stores and recreational/cultural facilities.⁶
• Smoking restrictions are required in casinos/gaming establishments (tribal establishments are exempt). Smoking restrictions are not required in bars.⁶
• There are municipalities in Louisiana with local 100% smoke-free laws, including bars.
• The use of e-cigarettes is prohibited on any school property.⁹

Licensing laws

• Retailers and wholesalers are required to obtain a license to sell tobacco products.⁶
• A license is required to sell e-cigarette products.⁹

Youth access laws

• Effective December 2019, the United States adopted a law raising the federal minimum age of sale of all tobacco products to 21.  Some states have not yet raised their state minimum age of sale, however, the federal law takes precedence.
• Establishments are required to post signs stating that sales to underage consumers are prohibited.^6,7
• Underage persons are prohibited from buying vapor products, vaporizers and e-cigarettes.⁵
• The sale or distribution of vapor products to underage persons is prohibited.⁹
• Underage persons are prohibited from possessing vapor products unless accompanied by a parent or in a private residence.⁹
• Self-service displays of vapor products are restricted to tobacco businesses and vending machines located in age-restricted settings.⁹

• The CDC estimates 54.0% of daily adult smokers in Louisiana quit smoking for one or more days in 2019.³
• In 2014, the Affordable Care Act required that Medicaid programs cover all quit medications.⁷**
• Louisiana’s state quit line invests $1.08 per smoker, compared with the national average investment per smoker of $2.28.⁷
• Louisiana does not have a private insurance mandate provision for quitting tobacco.⁷

Updated August 2021

*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, 2020.

2. CDC, Youth Risk Behavioral Surveillance System, 2019.

3. CDC, Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, State Tobacco Activities Tracking and Evaluation System, 2021.

4. Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, Broken Promises to Our Children: a State-by-State Look at the 1998 State Tobacco Settlement 22 Years Later FY2021, 2020.

5. Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, Toll of Tobacco in the United States.

6. American Lung Association, State Legislated Actions on Tobacco Issues (SLATI).

7. American Lung Association, State of Tobacco Control, 2021.

8. Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids. State Cigarette Excise Tax Rates & Rankings. https://www.tobaccofreekids.org/assets/factsheets/0097.pdf. Accessed.

9. Public Health Law Center. U.S. E-Cigarette Regulation: 50-State Review. http://www.publichealthlawcenter.org/resources/us-e-cigarette-regulations-50-state-review. Accessed.