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

  1. Protect and expand the Nevada Clean Indoor Air Act;
  2. Increase funding for the state’s tobacco prevention and control program; and
  3. Update the state tobacco retailer licensing program.
The American Lung Association in Nevada along with partners from the Nevada Tobacco Prevention Coalition continued to lead state efforts to prevent and reduce tobacco use in 2024. Priorities of the Coalition continue to center around expansion of the Nevada Clean Indoor Air Act and proper funding for the state’s tobacco prevention and control program. The American Lung Association in Nevada priorities continue to be building support and political will in order to advance comprehensive smokefree protections at the local level and state level.

The Nevada legislature only meets in odd numbered years, so in 2024 the American Lung Association in Nevada continued its work on the local level to educate communities about the dangers of tobacco use. Hundreds of thousands of workers in Nevada remain exposed to toxic secondhand smoke in public places and workplaces, and the Lung Association continues to engage in conversations about strengthening local or statewide smokefree laws.

Moving forward in 2025, Nevada only funds its state tobacco prevention and cessation program at 3% of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s funding recommendation with minimal state funding of about $1 million a year in the current two-year state budget. This funding level represented a significant cut from the past several two-year state budgets. Nevada received $220 million from tobacco Master Settlement Agreement payments and tobacco taxes in fiscal year 2024. These funds can and should be used to increase funding for efforts to prevent and reduce tobacco use, which will also save the state money in healthcare costs. The American Lung Association will make it a priority in 2025 to educate our legislature about the importance of well-funded tobacco prevention and cessation programs.

Nevada Facts
Healthcare Costs Due to Smoking: $1,080,272,434
Adult Smoking Rate: 14.20%
Adult Tobacco Use Rate: 21.90%
High School Smoking Rate: 2.90%
High School Tobacco Use Rate: N/A
Middle School Smoking Rate: 2.00%
Smoking Attributable Deaths per Year: 4,050
Adult smoking and tobacco use data come from CDC’s 2023 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System; adult tobacco use includes cigarettes, smokeless tobacco and e-cigarettes. High school and middle school smoking data come from the 2023 Nevada Youth Risk Behavior Survey. A current high school tobacco use rate is not available for this state.

Health impact information is taken from the Smoking-Attributable Mortality, Morbidity and Economic Costs (SAMMEC) software. Smoking-attributable deaths reflect average annual estimates for the period 2005-2009 and are calculated for persons aged 35 years and older. Smoking-attributable healthcare expenditures are based on 2004 smoking-attributable fractions and 2009 personal healthcare expenditure data. Deaths and expenditures should not be compared by state.

Nevada Information

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