Tobacco use: Kansas 2026

Cigarette use: Kansas*

• In 2024, 13.7% of adults in Kansas smoked. Nationally, the adult cigarette smoking prevalence was 11.6%.

• In 2018-2019, 21.1% of adults who smoked in Kansas smoked menthol cigarettes. Nationally, 32.3% of adult smokers used menthol cigarettes during this period.

• In 2021, 4.6% of high school students in Kansas smoked cigarettes on at least one day in the past 30 days. Nationally, the cigarette smoking prevalence among high school students was 3.8%.

Other tobacco product use: Kansas*

• In 2024, 9.4% of adults in Kansas used e-cigarettes. Nationally, the adult e-cigarette use prevalence was 8.0%.

• In 2024, 4.6% of adults in Kansas used smokeless tobacco every day or some days. Nationally, the adult smokeless tobacco use prevalence was 3.4%.

• In 2021, 14.4% of high school students in Kansas 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 18.0%.

• In 2021, 3.6% of high school students in Kansas used chewing tobacco, snuff or dip on at least one day in the past 30 days. Nationally, the smokeless tobacco use prevalence among high school students was 2.5%.

• In 2021, 3.2% of high school students in Kansas smoked cigars, cigarillos or little cigars on at least one day in the past 30 days. Nationally, the cigarette use prevalence among high school students was 3.1%.

Economics of tobacco use and tobacco control

• Kansas received $142.9 million (estimated) in revenue from tobacco settlement payments and taxes in fiscal year 2026.

• Of this, the state allocated $2.3 million in state funds to tobacco prevention in fiscal year 2026, 8.3% of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's annual spending target.

• Smoking-related health care costs: $1.31 billion per year.

• Smoking-related losses in productivity: $2.9 billion per year.

Kansas tobacco laws

Tobacco taxes

• Kansas is ranked 35th in the U.S. for its cigarette tax of $1.29 per pack (enacted July 2015), compared with the national average of $2.05. (New York has the highest tax at $5.35 and Missouri has the lowest at 17 cents.)

• E-cigarettes are taxed at 5 cents per milliliter of consumable material. All other tobacco products are taxed at 10% 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.

• Smoking restrictions are required in casinos/gaming establishments (casino floors and tribal establishments are exempt).

• E-cigarettes are not included in the state's indoor air laws or the state's definition of tobacco products.

Licensing laws

• Wholesalers are required to obtain a license to sell tobacco products. Retailers are required to obtain a license to sell cigarettes, but are not required to obtain a license to sell other tobacco products except e-cigarettes.

• Retailers and vending machine distributors are required to obtain a license to sell e-cigarette products.

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.

• The sale/distribution and purchase/possession of electronic cigarettes to/by persons under age 21 is prohibited.

• Possession or distribution of electronic cigarettes is prohibited at juvenile correctional facilities or institutions.

Quitting statistics and benefits

• The CDC estimates 48.5% of daily adult smokers in Kansas quit smoking for one or more days in 2019.

• In 2014, the Affordable Care Act required that Medicaid programs cover all quit medication.**

• Kansas's state quit line invests $0.79 per smoker, compared with the national median of $2.62.

• Kansas does not have a private insurance mandate provision for quitting tobacco.

Notes and references

Updated March 2026

*National and state-level prevalence numbers reflect the most recent data available. This 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. (2021). 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. CDC. (2024). Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, State Tobacco Activities Tracking and Evaluation System.