Tobacco use in West Virginia 2023

• In 2022, 21% of adults smoked. Nationally, adult smoking prevalence was 14.0%.¹
• In 2021, 7.6% of high school students in West Virginia 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, 9.3% of adults in West Virginia used e-cigarettes. Nationally, adult e-cigarette use prevalence was 7.7%.¹
• In 2022, 7.7% of adults in West Virginia used smokeless tobacco every day or some days. Nationally, adult smokeless tobacco use prevalence was 3.4%.¹
• In 2021, 27.5% of high school students in West Virginia 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, 4.8% of high school students in West Virginia 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, 3.5% of high school students in West Virginia smoke 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

• West Virginia received $232.4 million (estimated) in revenue from tobacco settlement payments and taxes in fiscal year 2023.⁴
• Of this, the state allocated $445,000 in state funds to tobacco prevention in fiscal year 2023, which is 1.6% of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s annual spending target.⁴
• Smoking-caused health care costs: $1.17 billion per year.⁴
• Smoking-caused losses in productivity: $2.4 billion per year.⁵

Tobacco taxes

• West Virginia is ranked 35th in the U.S. for its cigarette tax of $1.20 per pack (enacted July 2016), 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
• E-cigarette liquid is taxed at 7.5 cents per milliliter.⁶
• All other tobacco products are taxed at 12% of the wholesale price.^6,7

Clean indoor air ordinances

• Smoking is prohibited in public schools only.^6,7
• Smoking restrictions are required in government workplaces and childcare facilities.^6,7
• There are no smoking restrictions in private workplaces, restaurants, bars, casinos/gaming establishments, retail stores and recreational/cultural facilities.^6,7
• E-cigarette use is prohibited in schools and on school grounds except those areas not used for instructional purposes and inaccessible to students. It is also prohibited in state-owned vehicles.⁹

Licensing laws

• Retailers and wholesalers are required to obtain a license to sell tobacco products.⁶
• A license is not required to sell e-cigarette products.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.
• The possession, importation, distribution and sale of bidis to both minors and adults is prohibited.⁶
• Minors are prohibited from buying vapor products.^6,7
• Vending machine sales of vapor products are restricted to places inaccessible to persons under 18.⁹

Local tobacco laws

• Charleston prohibits new establishments that devote 33% of their floor area to the space and display of e-cigarettes and tobacco products from being within 1500 feet of another vape/smoke shop or elementary, middle, or high school.¹⁰

• The CDC estimates 47.0% of daily adult smokers in West Virginia 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**
• West Virginia’s state quit line invests $0.96 per smoker, compared to the national median of $2.37.⁷
• West Virginia does not have a private insurance mandate provision for cessation.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.