Utah Highlights

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

The American Lung Association in Utah supports evidence-based policy interventions to reduce tobacco use rates and prevent youth initiation. Together with our partners, the Lung Association works to ensure tobacco control and prevention remains a priority for state legislators and local decisionmakers.

The Lung Association continued to educate elected officials and the general public about the negative public health impacts of tobacco use in Utah, and the ongoing importance of providing adequately funded tobacco prevention and cessation programs. In 2024, the legislature passed and Governor Cox signed into law House Bill 128, which allows individuals under age 18 to offer their own consent for tobacco cessation services. Utah also passed controversial legislation making it illegal to sell flavored e-cigarettes. Under the law, tobacco and menthol flavors are still permitted. The law also creates a registry of e-cigarette products that may be sold in the state based on U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) pre-market tobacco application status. Products with pending pre-market tobacco applications would be allowed to be sold, which FDA considers on the market illegally, undermining FDA authority. Tobacco manufacturers actively pursued similar legislation in many states.

In fiscal year 2025, Utah maintains its standing among the top states in the country for tobacco prevention and cessation funding. The program is funded by a combination of tobacco Master Settlement Agreement dollars, tobacco tax revenue and e-cigarette tax revenue.

In 2025, the American Lung Association in Utah will continue to educate policymakers about the dangers of tobacco use and the importance of a well-funded tobacco prevention and cessation program. A significant increase on taxes for all tobacco products remains the top tobacco control policy goal in Utah. Raising the price of tobacco products, including through higher taxes, remains one of the most effective ways to discourage youth initiation and encourage people who use tobacco products to quit. Utah’s legislature last raised the cigarette tax in 2010.