Percent of People Protected from Tobacco Smoke in Each State 1990-2012

Tobacco control policies are a crucial component of statewide programs to reduce the prevalence of smoking. We created these charts to provide policy makers with a vivid illustration of the profound changes states have experienced after raising their state cigarette tax or passing statewide smoke free laws. Substantial increases in revenue and reductions in cigarette smoking have occurred in every state that raised their cigarette tax.

States have also experienced reductions in cigarette smoking after passing statewide smoke free laws. Moreover, it’s obvious from these charts that although many of the states in the U.S. have enacted tobacco control policies and experienced desirable outcomes – other states have missed the opportunity to improve health while increasing tax revenue.