Arizona Highlights

Tobacco use remains a leading cause of preventable death and disease in the United States and in Arizona. To address this enormous toll, the American Lung Association calls for the following actions to be taken by Arizona’s elected officials:

The American Lung Association continues to champion tobacco control issues in Arizona by leading legislative efforts and partnering with key organizations, state departments, and legislators to ensure tobacco education and prevention remains among the state's top priorities.

In 2024, funding for Arizona’s tobacco control program, Tobacco Free Arizona, went from $18 million in fiscal year 2024 to $18.6 million in fiscal year 2025. The program is funded by a percentage of revenue from tobacco taxes, and funding has remained relatively consistent over the years. However, the American Lung Association in Arizona keeps a close eye on funding levels to ensure these vital tobacco prevention and quit smoking programs receive the funding dedicated to them. Even at current funding levels, the state remains well short of Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended levels.

During the 2024 legislative session, the Lung Association in Arizona worked on legislation to create a statewide tobacco retail licensing system, raise the sales age of tobacco products to 21, and to include electronic smoking devices in the Clean Indoor Air Act. Unfortunately, the bill did not get a hearing. There were also bills introduced by the tobacco industry. One bill would have created an e-cigarette product registry based on U.S. Food and Drug Administration pre-market tobacco application status that was pushed by the industry in multiple states. A second bill would have defined heated tobacco products and taxed them at a small rate. The Lung Association opposed both bills, and, thankfully, neither bill ultimately advanced to the Governors’ office.

On the local front, the Lung Association along with a coalition of partners worked with city councilmembers in Tempe to enact a tobacco retailer licensing ordinance and we continue to work on the local level with the city of Mesa and Pima County.

During the 2025 legislative session, the American Lung Association will again work diligently to educate our lawmakers on the enormous negative economic impacts that tobacco use has on Arizona. Creating a tobacco retailer licensing system and opposing all forms of statewide preemption on tobacco product sales laws will continue to be a priority.