Michigan Highlights

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

The 2024 legislative session began with a great level of optimism as a multi-bill tobacco reduction package was planned to address the tobacco epidemic that grips Michigan and the nation. These bills address a broad range of topics, including setting up a comprehensive tobacco retail licensing system, repealing potentially preemptive language on tobacco sales in state law, increasing tobacco taxes and tobacco control program funding and eliminating the sale of all flavored tobacco products. It would have been a ground-breaking package that had the potential to significantly reduce tobacco use rates.

Unfortunately, the 2024 legislative session ended in disarray and disappointment with the legislature failing to move forward on any of the bills in the package. Two of the measures – establishing a licensure system in the state and the removal of youth purchase, use and possession laws received favorable votes in both chambers; however, dysfunction in the final days of the session resulted in the measures failing to advance to the governor’s desk.

There was one small victory in the legislature this session as House Bill 5554 and 5555 which would have created a loophole in the smokefree law by allowing hookah lounges to serve food and drink failed to move out of committee. In 2025, the Lung Association along with partners will be working to prevent rollbacks to the smokefree law in the legislature and also to stop a potential effort underway to create a cigar bar in the middle of Detroit Metro Airport.

In addition to bill package, there is more that Michigan policymakers could be doing. The state continues to only spend 6.3% of what is recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for a state of our size. While there was a small but encouraging increase in funding for the first time in many years in the state budget for fiscal year 2025, Michigan needs to continue to increase spending on tobacco control and prevention. Increasing tobacco taxes and ensuring parity for all forms of tobacco would raise the revenue to increase funding.

The American Lung Association in Michigan will continue to work with our coalition partners - the American Heart Association, the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network, Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids and others to advance tobacco control and prevention policies and defend our smokefree policies against rollbacks. As the legislature begins its work in 2025, the Lung Association will continue to grow our coalition to educate policymakers, business leaders and the media of the importance of the Lung Association’s goals to reduce tobacco use and protect public health.