Fact Sheet

Tobacco use: Tennessee 2026

Topic

Smoking by Region

Subtopic

State Facts

Cigarette use: Tennessee 2026*

In 2023, 17.0% of adults smoked. Nationally, the adult cigarette smoking prevalence was 12.1%.
In 2018-2019, 29.1% of adults who smoked in Tennessee smoked menthol cigarettes. Nationally, 32.3% of adult smokers used menthol cigarettes during this period.
In 2023, 5.4% of high school students in Tennessee 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: Tennessee*

In 2023, 10.2% of adults in Tennessee used e-cigarettes. Nationally, the adult e-cigarette use prevalence was 7.7%.
In 2023, 6.0% of adults in Tennessee used smokeless tobacco every day or some days. Nationally, the adult smokeless tobacco use prevalence was 3.2%.
In 2023, 21.6% of high school students in Tennessee 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%.
In 2023, 4.5% of high school students in Tennessee 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 2.3%.
In 2023, 6.6% of high school students in Tennessee 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 4.5%.

Economics of tobacco use and tobacco control

Tennessee received $322.9 million (estimated) in revenue from tobacco settlement payments and taxes in fiscal year 2026.
Of this, the state allocated $7.1 million in state funds to tobacco prevention in fiscal year 2026, which is 9.4% of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's annual spending target.
Smoking-caused health care costs: $3.10 billion per year.
Smoking-caused losses in productivity: $8.5 billion per year.

Tennessee tobacco laws

Tobacco laws

Tennessee is ranked 43rd in the U.S. for its cigarette tax of 62 cents per pack (enacted July 2007), compared to the national average of $2.05. (New York has the highest tax at $5.35 and Missouri has the lowest at 17 cents.)
There is a 10% tax on the wholesale cost of all vapor products.
All other tobacco products are taxed at 6.6% of the wholesale cost price.

Clean indoor air ordinances

Smoking is prohibited in government workplaces, private workplaces (non-public workplaces with three or fewer employees exempt), schools, childcare facilities, and retail stores.
Smoking is allowed in restaurants and bars that do not allow persons under 21 to enter at any time.
The use of e-cigarettes is prohibited at Tennessee Technological University, nearby Cookeville student housing, and on the grounds of Austin Peay State University. It is also prohibited in Sullivan County courts.
The use of vapor products is restricted to areas children are not allowed at child care centers, and prohibited in any room or area in a community center while the area is used for children's activities, group care homes, healthcare facilities, museums, schools, school grounds, residential treatment facilities for children and youth, youth development centers, and zoos.
E-cigarettes are included in the state's indoor air laws and the state's definition of smoking but are not included in the state's definition of tobacco products.

Licensing laws

Wholesalers are required to obtain a license to sell tobacco products. Retailers are not required to obtain a license to sell tobacco products.
Retailers and wholesalers are not required to obtain a license to sell e-cigarette products.

E-cigarette registry laws

The Department of Revenue maintains a directory of all the vapor products authorized to be sold in the state.

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.
People under 21 are prohibited from buying bidis and/or e-cigarettes.
Establishments are required to post signs stating that sales to people under 21 are prohibited.
Self-service displays of vapor products are prohibited. Vending machine sales must be inaccessible to persons under 21, or in other places where under continuous supervision or operated by token.
The distribution of free vapor products/samples is prohibited "on any public street, sidewalk, or park." The distribution by mail of vapor products requires the distributor to obtain an affirmative statement from the recipient that the person is 21 years or older.

Quitting statistics and benefits

The CDC estimates 47.0% of daily adult smokers in Tennessee quit smoking for one or more days in 2019.
In 2014, the Affordable Care Act required that Medicaid programs cover all tobacco cessation medications.**
Tennessee's state quit line invests $0.45 per smoker, compared to the national median of $2.62.
Tennessee does not have a private insurance mandate provision for cessation.

Notes and references (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 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.

CDC. (2023). 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 State Tobacco Settlement 24 Years Later FY2024.
Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids. (2024). The Toll of Tobacco in the United States.
American Lung Association. (2026). State Legislated Actions on Tobacco Issues (SLATI).
American Lung Association. (2026). State of Tobacco Control.
Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids. (2024). State Cigarette Excise Tax Rates & Rankings.
https://assets.tobaccofreekids.org/factsheets/0097.pdf
AN ACT to Amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 10, Chapter 7, Part 5; Title 39, Chapter 17, Part 15; Title 47, Chapter 25; Title 67, Chapter 4, Part 10 and Title 67, Chapter 4, Part 26, Relative to Regulated Consumable Products., No. SB 763, Tennessee State Legislature (2025).
https://www.capitol.tn.gov/Bills/114/Bill/HB0968.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. 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
CDC. (2024). Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, State Tobacco Activities Tracking and Evaluation System.