A new report from the American Lung Association highlights Indiana’s struggles in combating tobacco use, issuing failing grades in key areas like tobacco taxes and prevention funding.
The 2025 “State of Tobacco Control” report calls on Indiana lawmakers to raise taxes on all tobacco products, increase funding for prevention programs and expand smoke-free workplace laws. With tobacco use contributing to significant health and economic burdens, the report warns of growing industry tactics to attract young users through flavored products and social media marketing.
“According to the National Youth Tobacco Survey, youth tobacco use is at the lowest level it has been in 25 years; however, the number of middle and high school students who still use tobacco products — 2.25 million — is too high. In addition, 36 million adults in the U.S. still smoke cigarettes,” said Harold Wimmer, president and CEO of the American Lung Association.
Advocates, including Tiffany Nichols of the American Lung Association in Indiana, emphasize that policy changes like a $2-per-pack cigarette tax hike could significantly reduce tobacco consumption, especially among youth.
The report highlights Indiana’s ongoing struggles with tobacco use, awarding failing grades in areas such as tobacco prevention funding, access to cessation programs and tobacco taxes. The report calls for urgent action to address these shortcomings.
Black and Hispanic populations are disproportionately targeted by the tobacco industry through the aggressive marketing of menthol cigarettes and flavored tobacco products.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 85% of Black smokers nationwide use menthol cigarettes, compared to 29% of white smokers. This disparity is largely attributed to decades of targeted advertising, which continues to exploit vulnerable populations.
Indiana’s lack of robust tobacco control policies exacerbates these disparities.
Research shows that tobacco advertisements are disproportionately concentrated in minority neighborhoods. A Stanford University study found that tobacco ads are 10 times more likely to appear in low-income, predominantly Black and Hispanic areas than in wealthier, predominantly white neighborhoods. The Lung Association’s report points out that Indiana’s failure to ban flavored tobacco products and its low level of prevention funding leave these communities particularly vulnerable to exploitation.
The economic toll is equally stark.
Indiana spends nearly $2.9 billion annually on smoking-related health care costs and productivity losses, with minority communities shouldering a disproportionate share of this burden.
Nichols stressed the urgency of implementing stronger policies, saying, “In 2025, policymakers in Indiana must focus on increasing the tax on all tobacco products, increasing funding for Indiana’s tobacco prevention and cessation commission and passing state and local laws that eliminate smoking, including e-cigarette use, in all public places and workplaces.”
Advocates are calling on state lawmakers to prioritize policies that reduce tobacco use and address the inequities perpetuated by the industry’s marketing strategies.
To learn more about this year’s “State of Tobacco Control,” visit Lung.org/sotc.
This reporting is made possible by a grant from the Indianapolis African-American Quality of Life Initiative, empowering our community with essential health insights. https://iaaqli.org/
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Contact Health & Environmental Reporter Hanna Rauworth at 317-762-7854 or follow her on Instagram at @hanna.rauworth.
Hanna Rauworth is the Health & Environmental Reporter for the Indianapolis Recorder Newspaper, where she covers topics at the intersection of public health, environmental issues, and community impact. With a commitment to storytelling that informs and empowers, she strives to highlight the challenges and solutions shaping the well-being of Indianapolis residents.
