Tobacco use in the District of Columbia 2023

• In 2022, 10.6% of adults in the District of Columbia smoked. Nationally, adult smoking prevalence was 14.0%.1
• In 2021, 3.2% of high school students in the District of Columbia smoked cigarettes on at least one day in the past 30 days. Nationally, smoking prevalence among high school students was 3.8%.2
   

• In 2022, 4.1% of adults in the District of Columbia used e-cigarettes. Nationally, adult e-cigarette use prevalence was 7.7%1
• In 2022, 1.0% of adults in the District of Columbia used smokeless tobacco some days. Nationally, adult smokeless tobacco use prevalence was 3.4%1
• In 2021, 10.1% of high school students in the District of Columbia used electronic vapor products on at least one day in the past 30 days. Nationally, e-cigarette use prevalence among high school students was 18%.2
• In 2021, 2.8% of high school students in the District of Columbia used chewing tobacco, snuff or dip on at least one day in the past 30 days. Nationally, smokeless tobacco use prevalence among high school students was 2.5%.2
• In 2021, 2.6% of high school students in the District of Columbia smoked cigars, cigarillos or little cigars on at least one day in the past 30 days. Nationally, cigar use prevalence among high school students was 3.1%.2

• D.C. received $65.4 million (estimated) in revenue from tobacco settlement payments and taxes in fiscal year 2022.4
• Of this, the city allocated $1.9 million in city funds to tobacco prevention in fiscal year 2022, 17.8% of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s annual spending target.4
• Smoking-related health care costs: $454 million per year.4
• Smoking-related losses in productivity: $933.4 million per year.5

Tobacco taxes

• D.C is ranked 2nd in the U.S. for its cigarette tax of $4.50 per pack (enacted October 2018), compared to the national average of $1.93. (New York has the highest tax at $5.35 and Missouri has the lowest tax at $0.17).6-8
• Little cigars (weighing less than 4lbs/thousand) are taxed at 22.5 cents per little cigar. All other tobacco products are taxed at 96% of the manufacturer’s list price.6,7

Baseball stadium laws

• Tobacco use is prohibited at organized sporting events, including professional venues.9

Clean indoor air ordinances

• Smoking is restricted in all government workplaces and prohibited in private workplaces, schools, childcare facilities, restaurants, bars (allowed in cigar/tobacco bars and allows for an economic hardship waiver), retail stores and recreational/cultural facilities.7
• E-cigarettes are included in the city’s definition of smoking.10

Flavor restrictions

• The sale of all flavored tobacco products is prohibited. Adult-only hookah bars and restaurants that sell hookah for on-site consumption are exempt.11

Licensing laws

• Retailers and wholesalers are required to obtain a license to sell tobacco products, except premium cigars.6
• A license is required to sell e-cigarette products.10

Youth access laws

• In December 2019, the United States adopted a law raising the federal minimum age of sale of all tobacco products to 21, effective immediately.
• Establishments are required to post signs stating that sales to minors are prohibited.6,7
• The sale of electronic smoking devices to and purchase/possession by persons under 21 is prohibited. The sale of flavored electronic smoking devices is prohibited.10
• The distribution of free electronic smoking devices is prohibited on public streets, sidewalks, parks, playgrounds, buildings, or other public property, or private property open to the public (except at a tobacco specialty store, or adult-only conference or convention, so long as none are given to persons under the age of 21).10
• The sale of electronic smoking devices within one quarter mile of any middle or high school is prohibited.10

• The CDC estimates 60.8% of daily adult smokers in D.C. quit smoking for one or more days in 2019.3
• In 2014, the Affordable Care Act required that Medicaid programs cover all quit medications.7**
• The D.C. quit line invests $8.13 per smoker, compared to the national median of $2.37.7
• D.C. does not have a private insurance mandate provision for quitting tobacco.7

Updated June 2023

* The datasets for both adults and youth prevalence were used to make direct comparisons at the state and national levels. National prevalence reported here may differ from what is reported in our national-level fact sheets. The numbers here also reflect the most recent data available. Dates of available data may differ across state fact sheets.

** The seven recommended cessation medications are NRT gum, NRT patch, NRT nasal spray, NRT inhaler, NRT lozenge, Varenicline (Chantix) and Bupropion (Zyban).

Fiore MC, et al. Treating Tobacco Use and Dependence: 2008 Update. Clinical Practice Guideline. Rockville, MD: US Department of Health and Human Services. Public Health Service: May 2008.

1.         CDC, Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, 2022.

2.         Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, Toll of Tobacco in the District of Columbia.

3.         CDC, Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, State Tobacco Activities Tracking and Evaluation System, 2021.

4.         Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, Broken Promises to Our Children: a State-by-State Look at the 1998 State Tobacco Settlement 24 Years Later FY2023, 2023.

5.         Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, Toll of Tobacco in the United States.

6.         American Lung Association, State Legislated Actions on Tobacco Issues (SLATI).

7.         American Lung Association, State of Tobacco Control, 2023.

8.         Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids. State Cigarette Excise Tax Rates & Rankings. https://www.tobaccofreekids.org/assets/factsheets/0097.pdf. Accessed October 4th 2023.

9.         Knock Tobacco Out of the Park. https://tobaccofreebaseball.org/. Accessed October 4th 2023.

10.       Public Health Law Center. U.S. E-Cigarette Regulation: 50-State Review. http://www.publichealthlawcenter.org/resources/us-e-cigarette-regulations-50-state-review. Accessed October 4th 2023.

11.       Truth Initiative, Local restrictions on flavored tobacco and e-cigarette products. https://truthinitiative.org/research-resources/emerging-tobacco-products/local-restrictions-flavored-tobacco-and-e-cigarette. Accessed October 4th 2023.