Tobacco use in Oklahoma 2018

Cigarette use: Oklahoma*

• In 2016, 19.6 percent of adults smoked. Nationally, the rate was 17.1 percent.¹
• In 2017, 12.5 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: Oklahoma

• In 2015, 3.6 percent of adults used e-cigarettes, 4.3 percent used smokeless tobacco and 2.5 percent smoked cigars.³
• In 2017, 16.4 percent of high school students used e-cigarettes, 9.2 percent used smokeless tobacco and 8.2 percent smoked cigars on at least one day in the past 30 days. Nationally, the rates were 13.2 percent, 5.5 percent and 8.0 percent, respectively.²

Economics of tobacco use and tobacco control

• Oklahoma received $389.5 million (estimated) in tobacco settlement payments and taxes in fiscal year 2018.⁴
• Of this, the state allocated $19.0 million in state funds to tobacco prevention in fiscal year 2018, just 45 percent of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s annual spending target.⁴
• Smoking-caused health care costs: $1.62 billion per year⁴
• Smoking-caused losses in productivity: $2.1 billion per year⁵

Oklahoma tobacco laws

Tobacco taxes

• Oklahoma is ranked 37th in the U.S. for its cigarette tax of $1.03 per pack (enacted January 2005), 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.)⁶ ⁷ ⁸
• Chewing tobacco, smokeless tobacco and snuff are taxed at 60 percent of the factory list price. Smoking tobacco is taxed at 80 percent of the factory list price. Little cigars not weighing more than three pounds per thousand are taxed at 3.6 cents per cigar. Cigars weighing more than three pounds per thousand are taxed at 10-12 cents per cigar.⁶ ⁷

Clean indoor air ordinances

• Smoking is prohibited in schools, childcare facilities, retail stores and recreational/cultural facilities.⁶ ⁷
• Smoking restrictions are required in government workplaces (prohibited on state government property), private workplaces, restaurants and casinos/gaming establishments (tribal establishments exempt).⁶ ⁷
• There are no smoking restrictions for bars.⁶ ⁷

Youth access laws

• The minimum age of sale for tobacco products in Oklahoma is 18.⁷
• Establishments are required to post signs stating that the sale of tobacco products to minors is prohibited.⁶
• It is unlawful to offer tobacco products for sale in any manner that allows public access without assistance from a salesperson.⁶
• Minors are prohibited from buying bidis or e-cigarettes.⁶

Quitting statistics and benefits

• The CDC estimates that 50.2 percent of daily adult smokers in Oklahoma quit smoking for one or more days in 2016.⁹
• In 2014, the Affordable Care Act required that Medicaid programs cover all quit medications.⁷**
• Oklahoma’s state quit line invests $10.15 per smoker, compared to the national average of $2.10.⁷
• Oklahoma does not have a private insurance mandate provision for quitting tobacco.⁷

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, 2017.
3. CDC, State-Specific Prevalence of Tobacco Product Use Among Adults - United States, 2014-2015, MMWR.
4. 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.
5. Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, Toll of Tobacco in the United States, 2018.
6. American Lung Association, SLATI State Reports, 2017.
7. American Lung Association, State of Tobacco Control, 2018.
8. Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, State Cigarette Excise Tax Rates & Rankings, 2018.
9. CDC, Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, State Tobacco Activities Tracking and Evaluation System, 2016.