Tobacco in the United States

Tobacco has a long cultural, economic, and social history in the United States. Tobacco cultivation near Jamestown, Virginia Colony, in 1610 was the beginning of the plant's development as a cash crop with a strong demand in England. By the beginning of the 18th century, tobacco became a significant economic force in the American colonies. Tobacco use had also become common in early American society and was heavily consumed before and after the declaration of American independence in 1776.

An estimated 34 million people in the United States, or 14% of all adults aged 18 years or older, smoked cigarettes in 2015 and in 2018. In 2015, the prevalence of smoking in individual US states ranged from between 9% and 13% in Utah to between 24% and 27% in West Virginia. By region, smoking prevalence was highest in the Midwest (19%) and South (15%) and lowest in the West (12%). Men tended to smoke more than women: In 2015, 17% of men smoked compared to 14% of women. Cigarette smoking is the leading cause of preventable death in the United States, accounting for approximately 443,000 deaths – 1 of every 5 deaths – each year. Cigarette smoking alone has cost the United States $96 billion in direct medical expenses and $97 billion in lost productivity per year, or an average of $4,260 per adult smoker.

In 1964 the Surgeon General of the United States published its landmark report, Smoking and Health, which identified smoking as the cause of many health problems. Since then, smoking rates have been declining in the US. Since then, the public perception of tobacco has shifted from that of a harmless product to a clear hazard for the health. Over 60 years, smoking rates in the United States plummeted by some 73%, from 43% of all adult Americans in 1965 to 12% in 2022.