Tobacco use in Vermont 2021

• In 2020, 13.3% of adults smoked. Nationally, the rate was 15.5%.¹
• In 2019, 6.9% of high school students in Vermont smoked cigarettes on at least one day in the past 30 days. Nationally, the rate was 6.0%.²

• In 2017, 3.0% of adults in Vermont used e-cigarettes.³
• In 2020, 2.5% of adults in Vermont used smokeless tobacco.³
• In 2019, 26.4% of high school students in Vermont used electronic vapor products on at least one day in the past 30 days. Nationally, the rate was 32.7%.²
• In 2019, 3.5% of high school students in Vermont used chewing tobacco, snuff or dip on at least one day in the past 30 days. Nationally, the rate was 3.8%.²
• In 2019, 5.8% of high school students in Vermont smoked cigars, cigarillos or little cigars on at least one day in the past 30 days. Nationally, the rate was 5.7%.²

• Vermont received $96.4 million (estimated) in revenue from tobacco settlement payments and taxes in fiscal year 2021.⁴
• Of this, the state allocated $2.7 million in state funds to tobacco prevention in fiscal year 2021, 32% of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s annual spending target.⁴
• Smoking-caused health care costs: $348 million per year.⁴
• Smoking-caused losses in productivity: $232.8 million per year.⁵

Tobacco taxes

• Vermont is ranked 9th in the U.S. for its cigarette tax of $3.08 per pack (enacted July 2015), compared to the national average of $1.91. (The District of Columbia has the highest tax at $4.50 and Missouri has the lowest at 17 cents.)^6-8
• Little cigars are taxed at $15.40 per cigar.
• Roll-your-own tobacco is taxed at $3.08 per 0.0325 ounces.
• Snuff is taxed at $2.57 per ounce.
• New smokeless tobacco is taxed at $2.57 per ounce, or if sold in a package weighing less than 1.2 ounces, $3.08 per package.
• Cigars with a wholesale price greater than $2.17 and less than $10 are taxed at $2 per cigar. Cigars with a wholesale price of $10 or more are taxed at $4 per cigar.
• All other tobacco products are taxed at 92% of the wholesale price.^6,7

Clean indoor air ordinances

• Smoking is prohibited in government workplaces, private workplaces, schools, childcare facilities, restaurants, bars, retail stores and recreational/cultural facilities.^6,7
• There are no smoking restrictions for casinos/gaming establishments.⁷  
• E-cigarettes are included in the state’s clean indoor air law. Vape shops are exempt.⁹

Licensing laws

• Retailers and wholesalers are required to obtain a license to sell tobacco products.⁶
• Retailers and wholesalers are required to obtain a license to sell e-cigarette products.⁹

Youth access laws

• Effective December 2019, the United States adopted a law raising the federal minimum age of sale of all tobacco products to 21.  Some states have not yet raised their state minimum age of sale, however, the federal law takes precedence.
• Establishments are required to post signs stating that sales to underage consumers are prohibited.⁶
• Underage persons are prohibited from buying bidis and/or buying and possessing tobacco substitutes, including e-cigarettes.^6,9
• Self-service displays are restricted to locations that are inaccessible to minors. ⁹
• No person under the age of 16 years may sell e-cigarettes. ⁹
• Mail order, phone order, and internet sales of tobacco substitutes, including e-cigarettes, and nicotine-containing substances are restricted to sales to licensed wholesalers and retailers. ⁹

• The CDC estimates 46.5% of daily adult smokers in Vermont quit smoking for one or more days in 2019.³
• In 2014, the Affordable Care Act required that Medicaid programs cover all tobacco cessation medications.^7**
• Vermont’s state quit line invests $6.70 per smoker, compared to the national average of $2.28.⁷
• Vermont has a private insurance mandate provision for cessation.⁷

Updated August 2021

*National and state-level prevalence numbers reflect the most recent data available. This 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, 2020.

2. CDC, Youth Risk Behavioral Surveillance System, 2019.

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 22 Years Later FY2021, 2020.

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, 2021.

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

9. 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.