| The Toll of Tobacco in North Carolina | |
|---|---|
| High school students who smoke | 3.9% (22,000) |
| High school students who use e-cigarettes | 23.8% |
| Male high school students who smoke cigars (female use much lower) | N/A |
| Kids (under 18) who try cigarettes for the first time each year | 17,200 |
| Adults in North Carolina who smoke | 14.5% (1,218,500) |
| Proportion of cancer deaths in North Carolina attributable to smoking | 32.2% |
| U.S. National Data | |
|---|---|
| High school smoking rate (2023): | 1.9% |
| Male high school students who smoke cigars (2023): | 2.3% |
| High school students who use e-cigarettes (2023): | 10.0% |
| Adult smoking rate (2022): | 11.6% |
| Deaths in North Carolina from Smoking | |
|---|---|
| Adults who die each year from their own smoking | 14,200 |
Smoking kills more people than alcohol, AIDS, car crashes, illegal drugs, murders, and suicides combined — and thousands more die from other tobacco-related causes — such as fires caused by smoking (more than 1,000 deaths/year nationwide) and smokeless tobacco use.
| Smoking-Caused Monetary Costs in North Carolina | |
|---|---|
| Annual health care costs in North Carolina directly caused by smoking | $4.42 billion |
| Medicaid costs caused by smoking in North Carolina | $1.00 billion |
| Residents' state & federal tax burden from smoking-caused government expenditures | $814 per household |
| Smoking-caused productivity losses in North Carolina | $10.8 billion |
Amounts do not include health costs caused by exposure to secondhand smoke, smoking-caused fires, or use of non-cigarette tobacco products. Productivity losses are from smoking-caused premature death and illness that prevent people from working. Tobacco use also imposes costs such as damage to property.
| Tobacco Industry Influence in North Carolina | |
|---|---|
| Annual tobacco industry marketing expenditures nationwide | $8.6 billion |
| Estimated portion spent for North Carolina marketing each year | $429.6 million |
Published research studies have found that kids are twice as sensitive to tobacco advertising as adults and are more likely to be influenced to smoke by cigarette marketing than by peer pressure. One-third of underage experimentation with smoking is attributable to tobacco company advertising.
More detailed fact sheets on tobacco's toll in each state are available by emailing factsheets@tobaccofreekids.org
Last updated Apr. 02, 2024