Fact Sheet

Tobacco use: Louisiana 2026

Topic

Smoking by Region

Subtopic

State Facts

Cigarette use: Louisiana*

In 2024, 15.0% of adults in Louisiana smoked. Nationally, the adult cigarette smoking prevalence was 11.6%.
In 2018-2019, 43.3% of adults who smoked in Louisiana smoked menthol cigarettes. Nationally, 32.3% of adult smokers used menthol cigarettes during this period.
In 2021, 7.0% of high school students in Louisiana 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: Louisiana*

In 2024, 9.6% of adults in Louisiana used e-cigarettes. Nationally, the adult e-cigarette use prevalence was 8.0%.
In 2024, 4.6% of adults in Louisiana used smokeless tobacco some days or every day. Nationally, adult smokeless tobacco use prevalence was 3.4%.
In 2021, 25.5% of high school students in Louisiana 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, 5.6% of high school students in Louisiana 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, 8.0% of high school students in Louisiana smoked cigars, cigarillos or little cigars on at least one day in the past 30 days. Nationally, the cigar use prevalence among high school students was 3.1%.

Economics of tobacco use and tobacco control

Louisiana received $362.9 million (estimated) in revenue from tobacco settlement payments and taxes in fiscal year 2026.
Of this, the state allocated $4.6 million in state funds to tobacco prevention in fiscal year 2024, 7.8% of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's annual spending target.
Smoking-related health care costs: $2.19 billion per year.
Smoking-related losses in productivity: $5.5 billion per year.

Louisiana tobacco laws

Tobacco taxes

Louisiana is ranked 39th in the U.S. for its cigarette tax of $1.08 per pack (enacted April 2016), 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).
Smokeless tobacco is taxed at 20% of the invoice price and smoking tobacco is taxed at 33% of the invoice price. Cigars are taxed between 8% and 20%, depending on the manufacturer's invoice price, but they are capped at a 50-cent ceiling on each cigar sold. E-cigarettes and vapor products are taxed at 15 cents per milliliter of consumable nicotine liquid solution or other material containing nicotine that is depleted as a vapor product is used.

Clean indoor air ordinances

Smoking is prohibited in all government and private workplaces, schools, childcare facilities, restaurants, and retail stores.
Smoking restrictions are required in casinos/gaming establishments (tribal establishments are exempt). Smoking restrictions are not required in bars.
There are municipalities in Louisiana with local 100% smoke-free laws, including bars.
Smoking or carrying e-cigarettes and advanced personal vaporizers is prohibited on any school property.
The use of vaping devices is prohibited in vehicles when a child under the age of 13 is present.
E-cigarettes are not included in the state's indoor air laws (except for in and on grounds of K-12 schools) or the state's definition of tobacco products but are included in the state's definition of smoking.

E-cigarette Registry Laws

Effective November 1, 2023, only e-cigarette products listed in the state directory and have provided certification of approval through the PMTA process will be allowed for sale in the state.

Licensing laws

Retailers and wholesalers are required to obtain a license to sell tobacco products.
A license is required to sell e-cigarette products (retail, vending, and wholesale).

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 alternative nicotine products and e-cigarettes and are prohibited from possessing a vapor product unless accompanied by a parent or in a private residence.

Local tobacco laws

Shreveport prohibits smoking and vaping in bars, casinos, parks, and playgrounds. Cigar bars and hookah bars are exempt.
New Orleans prohibits new tobacco retailers within a 300 foot radius of churches, schools, playgrounds, public libraries, and any sites offering "structured, organized care for youth."

Quitting statistics and benefits

The CDC estimates 54.0% of daily adult smokers in Louisiana quit smoking for one or more days in 2019.
In 2014, the Affordable Care Act required that Medicaid programs cover all quit medications.**
Louisiana's state quit line invests $1.43 per smoker, compared with the national median investment per smoker of $2.62.
Louisiana does 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.

CDC. (2024). Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System.
CDC. (2024). State Menthol Fact Sheets.
CDC. (2023). High School Youth Risk Behavioral Surveillance System.
Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids. (2026). Broken Promises to Our Children: A State-by-State Look at the 1998 Tobacco Settlement 27 Years Later. Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids. https://www.tobaccofreekids.org/what-we-do/us/statereport
Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids. (2024). The Toll of Tobacco in the United States. Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids.
American Lung Association. (2024). State Legislated Actions on Tobacco Issues (SLATI).
American Lung Association. (2026). State of Tobacco Control. https://www.lung.org/research/sotc
Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids. (2024). State Cigarette Excise Tax Rates & Rankings. https://assets.tobaccofreekids.org/factsheets/0097.pdf
Tax/Tobacco Tax – Provides for the Rate of Tax Levied on Certain Cigars, HB 325, Louisiana State House (2025). https://www.legis.la.gov/legis/ViewDocument.aspx?d=1425579
TAX/EXCISE: Continues a Portion of the Excise Tax Levied on Cigarettes in Statute, HB 669, Louisiana State House.
American Nonsmokers' Rights Foundation. (2024). Municipalities with Tobacco-Free Pharmacy Laws. https://no-smoke.org/wp-content/uploads/pdf/pharmacies.pdf
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
State E-Cigarette Registry Bill Map | Public Health Law Center. (n.d.). Retrieved October 23, 2025, from https://www.publichealthlawcenter.org/resources/state-e-cigarette-registry-bill-map
FDA. (2024). Tobacco 21. https://www.fda.gov/tobacco-products/retail-sales-tobacco-products/tobacco-21
An Ordinance to Amend Chapter 50, Article V of the City of Shreveport, Louisiana, Code of Ordinances Relative to the Smokefree Air Act and to Otherwise Provide with Respect Thereto (2020).
An Ordinance to Amend and Reordain Article II of Chapter 66 of the Code of the City of New Orleans, Containing Sections 66-36 through 66-100, Relative to the Prohibition of Smoking of Tobacco, Tobacco Products, Natural or Synthetic Marijuana, Other Plant Products, and/or the Use of Electronic Smoking Devices within the City of New Orleans, to Provide for Penalties and Remedies Relative Thereto; and Otherwise to Provide with Respect Thereto (2014).
HB NO. 578. Reg. Sess. 2023-2024 (2023). https://legis.la.gov/legis/ViewDocument.aspx?d=1332443