DOVER, DE — The American Lung Association’s 2025 “State of Tobacco Control” report gives Delaware both praise and concern for its tobacco control efforts, urging lawmakers to strengthen policies that address the state’s continued tobacco-related health challenges. The annual report evaluates states on their effectiveness in reducing tobacco use through public health initiatives and legislation.
This year, Delaware received top marks in several areas, including an A for funding tobacco prevention programs, coverage for quit-smoking services, and smokefree workplace laws. However, it received failing grades in critical areas like state tobacco taxes and its approach to banning flavored tobacco products, including menthol.
“In addition to grading Delaware’s tobacco control policies, this year’s ‘State of Tobacco Control’ report examines the tobacco industry’s increasingly aggressive actions to addict a new generation to tobacco and hinder proven public policies to prevent and reduce tobacco use,” said Deb Brown, Chief Mission Officer at the American Lung Association in Delaware. “Here in Delaware, we are seeing tobacco industry lobbyists at the state level working to stop or weaken proven tobacco control policies.”
The report calls on policymakers to protect and increase funding for prevention programs, uphold Delaware’s tax structure on tobacco products, and resist any rollbacks that could weaken existing regulations. Despite receiving $112.3 million from tobacco settlement funds and taxes, Delaware currently allocates only 84.1% of the CDC’s recommended funding level for tobacco control.
“In 2025, policymakers in Delaware must focus on protecting and increasing funding for tobacco prevention and quit smoking programs, protecting Delaware’s tobacco tax structure and defend any attempted rollbacks on specific products,” added Brown.
State Senator Nicole Poore highlighted the significance of the report’s findings. “The American Lung Association’s State of Tobacco Control report contains valuable data regarding tobacco use nationally and in Delaware,” said Poore. “The report highlights evidenced based strategies to prevent people from initiating tobacco use and support individuals when they want to make a quit attempt. On, January 30, I am introducing a Senate Resolution to recognize the value of the data highlighted in the report, and to encourage my colleagues in the Delaware General Assembly to use the report as a resource when identifying strategies to address tobacco use in Delaware.”
At the federal level, the report praised public education efforts, assigning an A for mass media campaigns to prevent tobacco use. However, it criticized areas such as federal tobacco taxes and quit-smoking treatment coverage, both of which received failing grades. The Lung Association also urged Congress to give the FDA more resources to combat illicit nicotine products like unregulated e-cigarettes.
With tobacco use still the leading cause of preventable death in Delaware, the report emphasizes that robust public policies are essential to lessen the health and economic toll of tobacco use across the state. To learn more about this year’s “State of Tobacco Control” grades, visit Lung.org/sotc.
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