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Tobacco

woman vaping
Tobacco use is the leading preventable cause of death, disease, and disability in the United States. Smoking can harm nearly every organ in a smoker's body and also affects non-smokers exposed through secondhand smoke.1

1. Cigarette Smoking, CDC, 9/17/24.

Why It's Important

Tobacco use is a major risk factor for many chronic health conditions and leading causes of death. It is linked to heart disease, cancer, stroke, chronic lower respiratory disease, influenza, and pneumonia.

What's Known

Cigarette smoking is a major public health concern, with over 16 million Americans living with a smoking-related disease. Smoking and secondhand smoke exposure cause over 480,000 deaths in the U.S. each year. Smoking harms nearly every organ of the body and causes many diseases.2

In the United States, youth use e-cigarettes, or vapes, more than any other tobacco product.3 However, no tobacco products, including e-cigarettes, are safe, especially for children, teens, and young adults.4

Smoking can make it more difficult to become pregnant and can affect a baby's health before and after birth.5

Exposure to secondhand smoke from burning tobacco products causes disease and premature death among people who do not smoke. There is no safe level of exposure to secondhand smoke. Even brief exposure can cause immediate harm. Comprehensive smokefree laws prohibit smoking in all workplaces and public places, including restaurants and bars.6

2. Cigarette Smoking. CDC. 9/17/24.
3. Tobacco Product Use Among Middle and High School Students - National Youth Tobacco Survey, United States, 2024. CDC. 10/17/24.
4. E-Cigarette Use Among Youth and Young Adults: A Report of the Surgeon General. CDC. 2016.
5. Why Should You Avoid Using Tobacco? NJ Department of Health. 1/25/23.
6. About Secondhand Smoke. CDC. 5/15/24.

Who's at Risk

In 2022, cigarette smoking among New Jersey adults was more prevalent among persons aged 25-64 years, persons with a disability, persons with less education, persons unable to work or unemployed, persons with lower income, persons with severe mental distress, Black and Hispanic persons, and males.7

Youth and young adults are most at risk for using e-cigarettes.8

Menthol in cigarettes can make it more difficult to quit smoking. Tobacco companies aggressively market menthol-flavored tobacco products to different groups of people, especially Black persons. Young persons, racial and ethnic minority groups, LGBTQ+ persons, women, persons with low income, and persons with mental health conditions are more likely to smoke menthol cigarettes than other population groups.9

Many people who live in multi-unit housing, like apartment buildings, live in buildings without smokefree policies. They are exposed to secondhand smoke because smoke travels between units of the same building.10

7. State Tobacco-Related Disparities. CDC. 5/16/24.
8. E-Cigarette Use Among Youth. CDC. 10/17/24.
9. Menthol Tobacco Products. CDC. 5/15/24.
10. Trends and Disparities in Secondhand Smoke. CDC. 5/15/24.

How to Reduce Risk

The best way to reduce risk is to not begin smoking. However, for those who do smoke, quitting smoking is one of the most important actions a person can take to improve their health, reduce the risk for smoking-related diseases, and reduce the risk of premature death.

New Jersey's Tobacco Age of Sale law prohibits the sale of tobacco products to persons under 21 years of age.

Comprehensive smokefree laws and policies, like New Jersey's Smoke-Free Air Act, fully protect people from secondhand smoke exposure.

How It's Tracked

Tobacco use in New Jersey is primarily tracked through: Nationally, tobacco use is tracked using a range of surveys, as well as:

Publications

Other Data and Information Resources

New Jersey

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services