Tobacco use in Utah 2023

• In 2022, 6.7% of adults smoked. Nationally adult smoking prevalence was 14.0%.¹
• In 2021, 1.9% of high school students in Utah 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, 7.6% of adults in Utah used e-cigarettes. Nationally, adult e-cigarette use prevalence was 7.7%.¹
• In 2022,  2.3% of adults in Utah used smokeless tobacco every day or some days. Nationally, adult smokeless tobacco use prevalence was 3.4%.¹
• In 2021, 9.7% of high school students in Utah used electronic vapor products on at least one day in the past 30 days. Nationally, the e-cigarette use prevalence among high school students was 18%.²
• In 2021, 1.2% of high school students in Utah used chewing tobacco, snuff or dip on at least one day in the past 30 days. Nationally the smokeless tobacco use prevalence among high school students was 2.5%.²
• In 2021, 1.0% of high school students in Utah smoked cigars, cigarillos or little cigars on at least one day in the past 30 days. Nationally, the cigar use prevalence among high school students was 3.1%.²

• Utah received $136.8 million (estimated) in revenue from tobacco settlement payments and taxes in fiscal year 2023.⁴
• Of this, the state allocated $15.5 million in state funds to tobacco prevention in fiscal year 2023, 80.3% of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s annual spending target.⁴
• Smoking-caused health care costs: $630 million per year.⁴
• Smoking-caused losses in productivity: $1.3 billion 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 $1.93. (New York has the highest tax at $5.35 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
• 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
• The distribution of e-cigarettes is prohibited in correctional facilities. The use of e-cigarettes is prohibited in cars when a person 15 years or younger is present.⁹

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 e-cigarettes.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.
• Only sales clerks are allowed access to tobacco products prior to sale.⁶
• Minors are prohibited from buying e-cigarettes.⁶
• Vape shops are prohibited within 1,000 feet of a public or private school.¹⁰
• Retail sales of e-cigarettes 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 21.⁹
• Tobacco specialty businesses:⁹
  • Must prohibit anyone under 21 from entering
  • Must be located 1,000 feet from “community locations” including schools, playgrounds, and youth centers
  • Must not employ anyone under 21
• E-cigarette samples are restricted to adults at “professional conventions”. E-cigarettes may not be sold at discounted cost.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 6.65 dollars per smoker, compared to the national median of $2.41.⁷
• Most private health plans in Utah have a mandate provision for cessation (insurance commissioner bulletin).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, 2023.

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

3.         CDC, Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, State Tobacco Activities Tracking and Evaluation System, 2023.

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.       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. Accessed October 4th, 2023.