Tobacco use: Hawaii 2026

Cigarette use: Hawaii*

• In 2024, 8.1% of adults in Hawaii smoked. Nationally, the adult cigarette smoking prevalence was 11.6%.
• In 2018-2019, 66.0% of adults who smoked in Hawaii smoked menthol cigarettes. Nationally, 32.3% of adult smokers used menthol cigarettes during this period.
• In 2023, 3.0% of high school students in Hawaii smoked cigarettes on at least one day in the past 30 days. Nationally, the cigarette smoking prevalence among high school students was 3.5%.

Other tobacco product use: Hawaii*

• In 2024, 9.3% of adults in Hawaii used e-cigarettes. Nationally, the adult e-cigarette use prevalence was 8.0%.
• In 2023, 2.6% of adults in Hawaii used smokeless tobacco every day or some days. Nationally, the adult smokeless tobacco use prevalence was 3.4%.  
• In 2023, 13.2% of high school students in Hawaii used electronic vapor products on at least one day in the past 30 days. Nationally, the e-cigarette use prevalence among high school students was 16.8%.

Economics of tobacco use and tobacco control

• Hawaii received $112.4 million (estimated) in revenue from tobacco settlement payments and taxes in fiscal year 2026.  
• Of this, the state allocated $8.7 million in state funds to tobacco prevention in fiscal year 2026, 63.4% of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s annual spending target.
• Smoking-related health care costs: $611 million per year.  
• Smoking-related losses in productivity: $1.1 billion per year.
   

Hawaii tobacco laws

Tobacco taxes

• Hawaii is ranked 6th in the U.S. for its cigarette tax of $3.60 per pack (enacted December 31, 2025), compared with the national average $2.05. (New York has the highest tax at $5.35 and Missouri has the lowest at 17 cents).
• Little cigars are taxed at 15 cents per cigar (less than 4 pounds/thousand) and large cigars are taxed at 50% of the wholesale prices. All other tobacco products are taxed at 70% of the wholesale price.

Clean indoor air ordinances

• Smoking is prohibited in all government workplaces, private workplaces, schools, childcare facilities, restaurants, bars, and retail stores. 
• Use of electronic smoking devices are prohibited in the same places smoking is prohibited including enclosed or partially enclosed places that are: owned, leased or operated by the state or counties, open to the public, places of employment, sports arenas/stadiums, and within 20 feet of entrances; and exits to such places (with some exceptions). Use of e-cigarettes is also prohibited in state parks, parks (use of vapor cigarettes is also prohibited in parks), in indoor and outdoor areas of Hawaii Health Systems Corporation property, and on University of Hawaii property.
• E-cigarettes are included in the state’s indoor air laws and the state’s definition of smoking and tobacco products. 

Licensing laws

• Retailers and wholesalers are required to obtain a license to sell tobacco products. 
• A license is required to sell e-cigarettes.

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 people under 21 are prohibited.  
• People under 21 are prohibited from buying electronic smoking devices, including e-cigarettes. 
• Distribution of samples of electronic smoking devices on public property or within 1000 feet of a school is prohibited.

Local tobacco laws

• Use of electronic smoking devices prohibited in state parks, on indoor and outdoor areas of Hawaii Health Systems Corporation Property, and in enclosed or partially enclosed places that are owned, leased, or operated by the state or counties, open to the public, places of employment, sports areas/stadiums, and within 20 feet of entrances and exits to such places. In general, use of electronic smoking devices is prohibited in the same places smoking is prohibited.
• It is prohibited to smoke or use tobacco, including using e-cigarettes, on the premises of the University of Hawaii.

Quitting statistics and benefits

• The CDC estimates 50.9% of daily adult smokers in Hawaii quit smoking for one or more days in 2019.
• In 2014, the Affordable Care Act required that Medicaid programs cover all quit medications. However, there is not yet evidence that the Hawaii Medicaid program has complied with this requirement regarding NRT nasal spray, NRT lozenge and NRT inhaler.
• Hawaii’s state quit line invests $4.81 per smoker, compared with the national median of $2.62.  
• Hawaii does not have a private insurance mandate provision for quitting tobacco.
   

Notes and references

Updated March 2026

* 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 quitting 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. (2024). Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System.

2.    CDC. (2024). State Menthol Fact Sheets.

3.    CDC. (2023). High School Youth Risk Behavioral Surveillance System.

4.    Broken Promises to Our Children: A State-by-State Look at the 1998 Tobacco Settlement 27 Years Later. (2026). Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids. https://www.tobaccofreekids.org/what-we-do/us/statereport

5.    Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids. (2024). The Toll of Tobacco in the United States. Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids.

6.    American Lung Association. (2024). State Legislated Actions on Tobacco Issues (SLATI).

7.    American Lung Association. (2026). State of Tobacco Control. https://www.lung.org/research/sotc

8.    Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids. (2024). State Cigarette Excise Tax Rates & Rankings. https://assets.tobaccofreekids.org/factsheets/0097.pdf

9.    Public Health Law Center. (2024, June 15). U.S. E-Cigarette Regulations: 50 State Review. https://www.publichealthlawcenter.org/resources/us-e-cigarette-regulations-50-state-review

10.    FDA. (2024). Tobacco 21. https://www.fda.gov/tobacco-products/retail-sales-tobacco-products/tobacco-21

11.    Truth Initiative. (2024, June 30). Local restrictions on flavored tobacco and e-cigarette products. https://truthinitiative.org/research-resources/emerging-tobacco-products/local-restrictions-flavored-tobacco-and-e-cigarette

12.    CDC. (2024). Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, State Tobacco Activities Tracking and Evaluation System.