Tobacco use in New Jersey 2018

Cigarette use: New Jersey*

• In 2016, 14.0 percent of adults smoked. Nationally, the rate was 17.1 percent.¹
• In 2013, 12.9 percent of high school students smoked on at least one day in the past 30 days. Nationally, the rate was 15.7 percent.²

Other tobacco product use: New Jersey

• In 2015, 1.5 percent of adults used e-cigarettes and 2.3 percent smoked cigars.³
• In 2014, 12.1 percent of high school students used e-cigarettes, 4.1 percent used smokeless tobacco and 6.3 percent smoked cigars on at least one day in the past 30 days.⁴

Economics of tobacco use and tobacco control

• New Jersey received $941.9 million (estimated) in tobacco settlement payments and taxes in fiscal year 2018.⁵
• Of this, the state allocated $500,000 in state funds to tobacco prevention in fiscal year 2018, just 0.5 percent of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s annual spending target.⁵
• Smoking-caused health care costs: $4.06 billion per year⁵
• Smoking-caused losses in productivity: $3.15 billion per year⁶

New Jersey tobacco laws

Tobacco taxes

• New Jersey is ranked 10th in the U.S. for its cigarette tax of $2.70 per pack (enacted July 2009), compared to 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.)⁷ ⁸ ⁹
• Moist snuff is taxed at 75 cents per ounce. All other tobacco products are taxed at 30 percent of the wholesale price.⁷ 

Clean indoor air ordinances

• Smoking is prohibited in all government workplaces, private workplaces, schools, childcare facilities, restaurants, bars (allowed in cigar bars/lounges), retail stores and recreational/cultural facilities.⁷ ⁸
• Smoking is prohibited in indoor areas of horse tracks. Atlantic City has an ordinance restricting smoking to 25 percent of the gaming floors of casinos.⁷ ⁸

Youth access laws

• The minimum age of sale for tobacco products in New Jersey is 21.8
• Establishments are required to post signs stating that sales to minors are prohibited and those who sell tobacco products to those under 21 will be fined and could face suspension or revocation of their tobacco license. The sign must also state that proof of age may be required for purchase of tobacco products.⁷
• The sale of electronic smoking devices, including e-cigarettes, to persons under age 21 is prohibited.⁷ ⁸

Quitting statistics and benefits

• The CDC estimates that 52.5 percent of daily adult smokers in New Jersey quit smoking for one or more days in 2016.¹⁰
• In 2014, the Affordable Care Act required that Medicaid programs cover all quit medications.⁸**
• New Jersey’s state quit line invests 27 cents per smoker, compared to the national average of $2.10.⁸
• New Jersey has a private insurance mandate provision for quitting tobacco.⁸

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 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, 2016.
2. CDC, Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System, 2013.
3. CDC, State-Specific Prevalence of Tobacco Product Use Among Adults - United States, 2014-2015, MMWR.
4. New Jersey Youth Tobacco Survey, 2014.
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. American Lung Association, SLATI State Reports, 2017.
8. American Lung Association, State of Tobacco Control, 2018.
9. Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, State Cigarette Excise Tax Rates & Rankings, 2018.
10. CDC, Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, State Tobacco Activities Tracking and Evaluation System, 2016.