Tobacco use in New Hampshire 2021

• In 2020, 13.9% of adults smoked. Nationally, the rate was 15.5%.¹
• In 2019, 5.5% of high school students in New Hampshire smoked cigarettes on at least one day in the past 30 days. Nationally, the rate was 6.0%.²

• In 2019, 4.6% of adults in New Hampshire used e-cigarettes.
• In 2020, 1.8% of adults in New Hampshire used smokeless tobacco.³
• In 2019, 33.8% of high school students in New Hampshire used electronic vapor products on at least one day in the past 30 days. Nationally, the rate was 32.7%.²

• New Hampshire received $256.1 million (estimated) in revenue from tobacco settlement payments and taxes in fiscal year 2021.⁴
• Of this, the state allocated $360,000 in state funds to tobacco prevention in fiscal year 2021, 2.2% of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s annual spending target.⁴
• Smoking-caused health care costs: $729 million per year.⁴
• Smoking-caused losses in productivity: $506.9 million per year.⁵

Tobacco taxes

• New Hampshire is ranked 26th in the U.S. for its cigarette tax of $1.78 per pack (enacted August 2013), compared to 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
• Little cigars are taxed at $1.78 per 20 cigars.⁶
• Roll-your-own tobacco is taxed at 8.9 cents per 0.09 ounces.⁶
• Loose tobacco, smokeless tobacco, snuff and cigars (not including premium cigars) are taxed at 65.03% of the wholesale sales price.⁶

Clean indoor air ordinances

• Smoking is prohibited in all public schools, childcare facilities, restaurants and bars (allowed in cigar shops and allows for an economic hardship waiver).^6,7
• Smoking restrictions are required in government workplaces, private workplaces, casinos/gaming establishments, retail stores and recreational/cultural facilities.^6,7
• E-cigarettes is 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

• 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 minors are prohibited.⁶
• Minors are prohibited from buying, possessing, or using e-cigarettes.⁶
• The sale or distribution of e-cigarettes and e-liquid to persons under age 21 is prohibited. ⁹
• Distribution of free e-cigarettes or e-liquid  restricted to locations inaccessible to persons under age 21 or licensed retail tobacco store. ⁹

• The CDC estimates 47.9% of daily adult smokers in New Hampshire 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**
• New Hampshire’s state quit line invests $2.42 per smoker, compared to the national average of $2.28.⁷
• New Hampshire does not have a private insurance mandate provision for cessation.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 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, 20120.

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.