Maryland Highlights

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

During the 2024 legislative session, the American Lung Association in Maryland along with other public health partners were successful in advancing a number of evidence-based tobacco control policies. These include:

• Increasing tobacco taxes by $1.25 to $5.00 per pack on cigarettes, making it the 2nd highest in the country, 60% for many other tobacco products and 20% for e-cigarettes;

• Modernizing tobacco retail licensure in the state, which included increasing the fees to acquire a tobacco retail license, and mandatory annual checks; and

• Closing an important loophole in the state’s clean indoor air act by adding electronic smoking devices.

In fiscal year 2023, the tobacco prevention and cessation program received a much-needed increase of $8.25 million as a result of the Lung Association and partners advocacy for an increase in the tobacco tax. This increase was maintained for fiscal year 2025. The Lung Association continues to push for the allocation of Juul settlement dollars to the tobacco control program as required by legislation passed in 2023 as well.

Since 2013 and the court ruling in Altadis v. Prince George’s County, Maryland has had strong preemption rules in place restricting local governments from acting locally on tobacco sales and distribution. The Lung Association will continue to partner with stakeholders to address statewide legislation which would allow local governments to pass and enforce their own tobacco control laws.

While the Clean Indoor Air Act was updated to include electronic smoking devices, the bill was amended to add a provision that a workgroup would be convened to determine the feasibility of permitting cigar lounges. The workgroup includes legislators, Maryland Department of Health and representation from the cigar industry. The American Lung Association will continue to advocate that Maryland’s strong clean indoor air laws be protected and permitting cigar lounges would undermine efforts to protect Marylanders from exposure to dangerous secondhand smoke.

The American Lung Association in Maryland will continue to educate lawmakers on the ongoing fight against tobacco. Our goal is to build champions within the legislature and grassroots advocates to advance our goals which include most notably to protect the increased funding for tobacco prevention and cessation, protect Maryland’s strong Clean Indoor Air Act and restore local control.