The report grades states on five tobacco control measures proven to reduce tobacco use and prevent disease.
While New York earned high ratings for smokefree workplace laws, it failed in the area of prevention funding.New York received an “F” for funding state tobacco prevention programs, the lowest grade in the report.
The Lung Association said lawmakers must increase investments in prevention and quit smoking services to reduce tobacco-related deaths and illness.
Tobacco use remains the leading cause of preventable death, claiming more than 28,170 New York residents each year, according to the report.
New York earned an “A” for the strength of smokefree workplace laws and “B” grades for tobacco taxes and access to quit smoking services.
The state received a “D” for efforts to end the sale of flavored tobacco products, which the Lung Association said continue to contribute to youth addiction.
The report noted that federal tobacco control efforts were weakened in 2025, including major staffing cuts at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s Center for Tobacco Products and reduced resources for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Office on Smoking and Health.
The association said these rollbacks increase the need for stronger state-level action.Despite receiving more than $1.5 billion from tobacco taxes and settlement payments, New York funds tobacco control programs at only 20.8% of the level recommended by the CDC.Michael Seilback, assistant vice president for advocacy at the Lung Association in New York, called on state policymakers to boost prevention funding, raise tobacco taxes further and close enforcement gaps on flavored tobacco sales.
The report’s full findings are available at Lung.org/sotc.