Tobacco use in Utah 2021

• In 2020, 8.2% of adults smoked. Nationally, the rate was 15.5%.¹
• In 2019, 2.2% of high school students in Utah smoked cigarettes on at least one day in the past 30 days. Nationally, the rate was 6.0%.²

• In 2018, 6.1% of adults in Utah used e-cigarettes. ³
• In 2020, 2.6% of adults in Utah used smokeless tobacco.³
• In 2019, 9.7% of high school students in Utah used electronic vapor products on at least one day in the past 30 days. Nationally, the rate was 32.7%.²
• In 2019, 1.7% of high school students in Utah 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, 1.2% of high school students in Utah smoked cigars, cigarillos or little cigars on at least one day in the past 30 days. Nationally, the rate was 5.7%.²

• Utah received $154 million (estimated) in revenue from tobacco settlement payments and taxes in fiscal year 2021.⁴
• Of this, the state allocated $15.3 million in state funds to tobacco prevention in fiscal year 2021, 79.4% of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s annual spending target.⁴
• Smoking-caused health care costs: $542 million per year.⁴
• Smoking-caused losses in productivity: $355.6 million per year.⁵

Tobacco taxes

• Utah is ranked 27th in the U.S. for its cigarette tax of $1.70 per pack (enacted July 2010), 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 8.5 cents per cigar and moist snuff is taxed at $1.83 per ounce.
• All other tobacco products are taxed at 86% of the manufacturer’s selling price.^6,7

Clean indoor air ordinances

• Smoking is prohibited in government workplaces, private workplaces, schools, childcare facilities, restaurants, bars, retail stores and recreational/cultural facilities.^6,7
• There are no smoking restrictions in casinos/gaming establishments.⁷
• E-cigarettes are included in the state’s definition of smoking.⁹
• School boards are required to adopt rules prohibiting the use and possession of e-cigarettes on school property and at sponsored activities.⁹
• Distribution of e-cigarettes is prohibited in a correctional facility.
• Use of e-cigarettes is prohibited in cars when a person 15 years or younger is present.

Flavor restrictions

• The sale of flavored e-cigarettes, except mint and menthol flavors, is restricted to adult-only retail tobacco specialty stores.¹⁰

Licensing laws

• Retailers and wholesalers are required to obtain a license to sell tobacco products.⁶
• Retailers and wholesalers are required to obtain a license to sell tobacco 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.
• Only sales clerks are allowed access to tobacco products prior to sale.⁶
• Underage persons are prohibited from buying or possessing e-cigarettes.^6,9
• The sale or distribution of e-cigarette products to underage persons is prohibited. ⁹
• Retail sales of electronic cigarette product to consumer must be through a face-to-face exchange, except sales through a tobacco specialty shop, vending machine, legally compliant remote sales, or self-service display inaccessible to persons under age 21. ⁹
• Tobacco specialty businesses (including those selling electronic cigarettes) must prohibit anyone under age 21 from entering (unless accompanied by parent or legal guardian, or is present solely to provide a service to the business, including making a delivery, is monitored by an employee and not permitted to make any purchase). ⁹
• Tobacco retail specialty businesses (including those selling electronic cigarettes) must be located 1,000 feet from “community location[s]” (including, but not limited to, schools, churches, playgrounds and youth centers), 600 feet from other tobacco specialty shops, and 600 feet from property used or zoned for agriculture or residential use (with some exemptions). ⁹
• Tobacco retail specialty businesses may not employ individuals under 21 years of age to sell electronic cigarette products or permit an employee under 21 years of age to sell an electronic cigarette product. ⁹
• No place of business may knowingly permit an individual under age 21 years to frequent a place of business while using an electronic cigarette product. ⁹
• Distribution of electronic cigarette samples restricted to distribution to adults at “professional conventions.” ⁹
• Flavored electronic cigarette products may only be sold through tobacco retail specialty businesses. ⁹

• The CDC estimates 47.0% of daily adult smokers in Utah 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**
• Utah’s state quit line invests $6.22 per smoker, compared to the national average of $2.28.⁷
• Most private health plans in Utah have a 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, 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.

10. Truth Initiative, Local restrictions on flavored tobacco and e-cigarette products. https://truthinitiative.org/research-resources/emerging-tobacco-products/local-restrictions-flavored-tobacco-and-e-cigarette.