Tobacco use in Oklahoma 2021

• In 2020, 19.1% of adults smoked. Nationally, the rate was 15.5%.1
• In 2019, 9.1% of high school students in Oklahoma smoked cigarettes on at least one day in the past 30 days. Nationally, the rate was 6.0%.2

• In 2017, 7.1% of adults in Oklahoma used e-cigarettes.3
• In 2020, 7.1% of adults in Oklahoma used smokeless tobacco.3
• In 2019, 27.8% of high school students in Oklahoma used electronic vapor products on at least one day in the past 30 days. Nationally, the rate was 32.7%.2
• In 2019, 5.7% of high school students in Oklahoma 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, 6.8% of high school students in Oklahoma smoked cigars, cigarillos or little cigars on at least one day in the past 30 days. Nationally, the rate was 5.7%.2

• Oklahoma received $521.4 million (estimated) in revenue from tobacco settlement payments and taxes in fiscal year 2021.4
• Of this, the state allocated $21.7 million in state funds to tobacco prevention in fiscal year 2021, 51.2% of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s annual spending target.4
• Smoking-caused health care costs: $1.62 billion per year.4
• Smoking-caused losses in productivity: $2.1 billion per year.5

Tobacco taxes

• Oklahoma is ranked 18th in the U.S. for its cigarette tax of $2.03 per pack (enacted July 2017), compared to the national average of $1.82. (The District of Columbia has the highest tax at $4.50 and Missouri has the lowest at 17 cents.)6-8
• Chewing tobacco, smokeless tobacco and snuff are taxed at 60% of the factory list price.
• Smoking tobacco is taxed at 80% of the factory list price.
• Little cigars (not weighing more than three pounds per thousand) are taxed at 10.15 cents per cigar and cigars (weighing more than three pounds per thousand) are taxed at 10-12 cents per cigar.6,7 

Clean indoor air ordinances

• Smoking is prohibited in schools, childcare facilities, retail stores and recreational/cultural facilities.6,7
• Smoking restrictions are required in government workplaces (prohibited on state government property), private workplaces, restaurants and casinos/gaming establishments (tribal establishments are exempt).6,7
• There are no smoking restrictions for bars.6,7
• The use of e-cigarettes is prohibited in or on school property, in school vehicles and at school-sponsored events.9
• The use of e-cigarettes is prohibited on properties owned, leased or contracted for use by the state.9
• The use of e-cigarettes is prohibited in those parts of the Capitol Building assigned to the House.9
• The possession and use of e-cigarettes is prohibited on the grounds of comprehensive community addiction recovery centers, mental illness service programs, gambling treatment programs, community mental health centers, substance related and addictive disorder treatment, and opioid treatment programs.9

Licensing laws

• Retailers and wholesalers are required to obtain a license to sell cigarettes. Retailers and wholesalers are not required to obtain a license to sell other tobacco products.6
• A license is not required 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 the sale of tobacco products to underage consumers is prohibited.6
• It is unlawful to sell tobacco products in any manner that allows public access without assistance from a salesperson.6
• Underage persons are prohibited from buying nicotine products, including bidis, and/or buying and possessing e-cigarettes.6, 9
• The sale or distribution of nicotine products or vapor products to underage persons is prohibited. 9
• Vending machine sales of nicotine products or vapor products are restricted to locations inaccessible to underage persons. 9
• Distribution of free nicotine products or vapor products to underage persons or on any public street, sidewalk, or park that is within 300 feet of any playground, school, or other facility used primarily by underage persons is prohibited. 9
• Self-service displays of nicotine or vapor products is restricted to adult-only facilities. 9

• The CDC estimates 51.4% of daily adult smokers in Oklahoma 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**
• Oklahoma’s state quit line invests $9.18 per smoker, compared to the national average of $2.28.7
• Oklahoma does not have 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.