Tobacco use in Nevada 2023

• In 2022, 14.8% of adults in Nevada smoked. Nationally, adult smoking prevalence was 14.0%.1
• In 2021, 4.8% of high school students in Nevada smoked cigarettes on at least one day in the past 30 days. Nationally, smoking prevalence among high school students was 3.8%.2

• In 2022, 8.9% of adults in Nevada used e-cigarettes. Nationally, adult e-cigarette use prevalence was 7.7%1
• In 2022, 3.3% of adults in Nevada used smokeless tobacco every day or some days. Nationally, adult smokeless tobacco use prevalence was 3.4% 1
• In 2021, 18.8% of high school students in Nevada used electronic vapor products on at least one day in the past 30 days. Nationally, e-cigarette use prevalence among high school students was 18.0%.2
• In 2021, 3.1% of high school students in Nevada used chewing tobacco, snuff or dip on at least one day in the past 30 days. Nationally, smokeless tobacco use prevalence among high school students was 2.5%.2

• Nevada received $227.2 million (estimated) in revenue from tobacco settlement payments and taxes in fiscal year 2022.4
• Of this, the state allocated $3.5 million in state funds to tobacco prevention in fiscal year 2022, 11.5% of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s annual spending target.4
• Smoking-caused health care costs: $1.25 billion per year.4
• Smoking-caused losses in productivity: $2.6 billion per year.5

Tobacco taxes

• Nevada is ranked 25th in the U.S. for its cigarette tax of $1.80 per pack (enacted July 2015), compared to the national average $1.93. (New York has the highest tax at $5.35 and Missouri has the lowest at 17 cents.)6-8
• All other tobacco products, including alternative nicotine products and vapor products, are taxed at 30% of the wholesale price.6,7 

Clean indoor air ordinances

• Smoking is prohibited in all government workplaces, private workplaces, schools, childcare facilities, restaurants, retail stores and recreational/cultural facilities.6,7
• Smoking restrictions are required in bars (except bars or parts of bars if age-restricted) and casino/gaming establishments (tribal establishments are exempt).6,7
• E-cigarettes are included in the state’s definition of smoking. 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

• In December 2019, the United States adopted a law raising the federal minimum age of sale of all tobacco products to 21, effective immediately.
• Establishments are required to post signs stating that sales to minors are prohibited.6
• Tobacco products must be displayed behind a register for clerk’s access only.6
• Minors are prohibited from buying products made or derived from tobacco, including e-cigarettes.6
• Online sales of vapor products must be clearly marked “vapor products” and only delivered after third-party age verification,9

Local tobacco laws

• Las Vegas prohibits the use of tobacco products at Las Vegas Lights FC soccer games at Cashman Field and Las Vegas Aviators minor league baseball games at Las Vegas Ballpark. Reno prohibits smoking and vaping at Reno Aces minor league games at Greater Nevada Field.10-12

• The CDC estimates 50.7% of daily adult smokers in Nevada quit smoking for one or more days in 2019.3
• In 2014, the Affordable Care Act required that Medicaid programs cover all tobacco cessation medications.7**
• Nevada’s state quit line invests $3.25 per smoker, compared to the national median of $2.37.7
• Nevada does not have a private insurance mandate provision for cessation.7

Updated June 2023

* The datasets for both adults and youth prevalence were used to make direct comparisons at the state and national levels. National prevalence reported here may differ from what is reported in our national-level fact sheets. The numbers here also reflect the most recent data available. Dates of available data may differ across state fact sheets.

**The seven recommended cessation 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, 2022.

2.         CDC, Youth Risk Behavioral Surveillance System, 2021.

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 24 Years Later FY2023, 2023.

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, 2023.

8.         Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids. State Cigarette Excise Tax Rates & Rankings. https://www.tobaccofreekids.org/assets/factsheets/0097.pdf. Accessed October 4th, 2023.

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 October 4th, 2023.

10.         Fan Code of Conduct. Las Vegas Lights FC. Retrieved November 28, 2023, from https://www.lasvegaslightsfc.com/matchday/code-of-conduct/

11.       Reno Aces A-to-Z Guide. MiLB.Com. Retrieved November 28, 2023, from https://www.milb.com/reno/ballpark/a-to-zguide

12.       Tobacco-Free Baseball | Knock Tobacco Out of the Park. Retrieved November 28, 2023, from https://tobaccofreebaseball.org