While teen tobacco use in Michigan remains far below historic highs, data shows it\u2019s beginning to rise again, fueling renewed calls to boost prevention spending that has fallen far short of federal recommendations. <\/p>\n
Tobacco use among high school students rose to 16.5% in 2023, up from 14% in 2021, according to the most recent data from the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services<\/a>. <\/p>\n E-cigarettes were the most common form of tobacco used by Michigan high schoolers, including 11% of males and 19% of females, and use of both cigarettes and chewing tobacco products also rose slightly.<\/p>\n Health advocates are highlighting those figures as they call for more spending on efforts to prevent tobacco use, which the state says remains the largest contributor<\/a> to preventable death in Michigan. <\/p>\n \u201cThis is something that has been a problem for teens for decades. We know that cigarette smoking and tobacco use of other types lead to health problems down the road,\u201d said Dr. David Ledgerwood, a clinical psychologist<\/a> and professor at Wayne State University. \u201cCigarette smoking is still the leading preventable cause of death in the United States.\u201d <\/p>\n Michigan is one of 10 states<\/a> that spend less than 5% of the tobacco prevention funding levels recommended by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention<\/a>.<\/p>\n Gov. Gretchen Whitmer\u2019s proposed budget would increase prevention spending<\/a> by $8.9 million to a total of $16 million next year by creating a new tax on e-cigarettes, otherwise known as vapes, and alternative nicotine products, such as Zyn pouches. <\/p>\n That would still be less than 15% of the $110.6 million in spending the CDC recommends for Michigan, and neither House nor Senate lawmakers have included those new taxes in separately approved state budget bills. <\/p>\n Experts say any increase in youth tobacco use is concerning, given the long-term health implications. <\/p>\n \u201cWhen people are young and develop a habit of smoking or using e-cigarettes or using other nicotine products, it can very well lead to \u2026 dependence on nicotine,\u201d said Dr. David Ledgerwood, a clinical psychologist and professor at Wayne State University. <\/p>\n \u201cIntroducing a drug like nicotine, or alcohol, or cannabis or any other drug can interfere with the natural development of the adolescent brain.\u201d <\/p>\n Michigan currently generates about $733 million in tobacco tax revenue each year. Most of that<\/a> goes to a Medicaid Benefits Trust Fund and the state\u2019s School Aid Fund, which is used to support K-12 schools. Whitmer is proposing to raise the cigarette tax from $2 to $3 per pack as part of a broader plan to bolster Medicaid funding. <\/p>\n The state also receives hundreds of millions of dollars a year in tobacco industry lawsuit settlement dollars<\/a> but generally spends that on health initiatives, not prevention or cessation programs. <\/p>\n Prevention efforts<\/p>\n Michigan\u2019s current youth tobacco prevention program<\/a> is operated with $7.5 million in state and federal funding and supports youth cessation programs like My Life My Quit and outreach efforts aimed at reducing tobacco use among young people, according to Lynn Sutfin, a state health department spokesperson.<\/p>\n Schools play a major role in prevention. Nearly 90% of Michigan public school districts had a \u201ccategory four\u201d tobacco prohibition policy<\/a>, including e-cigarettes, on school grounds and at school-sponsored events off campus, according to the state health department. <\/p>\n Tobacco use among high schoolers had been steadily declining until 2015, when the state reported a sharp jump attributed to e-cigarettes.<\/p>\n As of 2023, about 35% of Michigan high schoolers said they\u2019d tried e-cigarettes at least once, up from 33% in 2021. By comparison, 16% said they\u2019d tried cigarettes at some point, up from 13% two years prior. <\/p>\n \u201cFlavored products and nicotine patches serve as the gateway to hook the next generation of tobacco users,\u201d said Kezia Ofosu Atta, director of advocacy for the American Lung Association. \u201dIt\u2019s difficult for tobacco companies to argue that they aren\u2019t targeting the youth with flavors like bubble gum, watermelon and mango.\u201d<\/p>\n Michigan isn\u2019t alone. Roughly 1 in 5 high school seniors<\/a> in the US use tobacco, including 16% who use e-cigarettes, according to the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids<\/a>, an organization focused on preventing child deaths caused by tobacco use.<\/p>\n The state banned billboard advertising for tobacco products on all roads and highways<\/a> and in 2019, Gov. Whitmer ordered<\/a> the Michigan Department of Transportation to enforce the existing law to prohibit the advertisement of vape products as well but that effort did not lead to a state law. <\/p>\n Teens continue to report frequent exposure to tobacco advertising in everyday settings. The majority of students see tobacco advertisements at the convenience store, gas station or when they\u2019re watching movies or using the internet. <\/p>\n \u201cMarketing is a huge part of this conversation. We know that these products are marketed directly to our kids, especially when we look at (how) these products have evolved over the last five years,\u201d said Jodi L. Radke, regional director of the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids.<\/p>\n \u201cOftentimes, our teens who are experimenting with these products believe that they are just flavored vapor or flavored water,\u201d Radke said. \u201cNicotine is physiologically just as addictive as heroin. Some of these newer products that have come to market \u2026 have the equivalent of 200 cigarettes worth of nicotine.\u201d <\/p>\n Billboard advertising for cannabis is permitted in Michigan, where marijuana use among teenagers and adolescents has become more prevalent. In the past 30 days, roughly 7% of eighth graders, 16% of 10th graders, and 26% of 12th graders used cannabis, according to the MDHHS<\/a>. Within that same time frame, nearly 40% of high school students have reported trying marijuana and 22% had used it. <\/p>\n Minor sales<\/p>\n State and federal law prohibit adults under the age of 21 from buying tobacco, a change Michigan also codified in state law.<\/p>\n But Michigan is one of eight states that do not require retailers to obtain a license<\/a> to sell tobacco products, which advocates like Radke say makes it easier for teenagers to purchase tobacco here.<\/p>\n \u201c(Smoking) is not a normal thing to do at our age but it\u2019s normalized by the people that we\u2019re around,\u201d said Arianna Banford, 18 and a senior at Osborn High School. \u201cPeople can smoke right in front of you because it\u2019s normalized and they don\u2019t feel any type of shame or think there\u2019s anything wrong with it.\u201d <\/p>\n The state does conduct annual, random, unannounced inspections<\/a> to measure its progress in reducing youth retail access to tobacco products, vapor products and alternative nicotine products. <\/p>\n Still, roughly a quarter<\/a> of Michigan retailers failed underage and undercover compliance checks conducted last year by the US Food and Drug Administration, according to federal data. In 2025, 499 Michigan retailers received warning letters for first-time violations, and another 231 were fined.<\/p>\n Some stores check IDs for vape pens, but \u201cthere are stores that don\u2019t \u2014 and everyone knows the stores that don\u2019t,\u201d Banford said. \u201c\u2026 So they tell a friend who tells a friend.<\/p>\n Groups like the American Lung Association are backing Whitmer\u2019s proposal for a 57% wholesale tax<\/a> on vapes and nicotine products as part of the 2027 fiscal budget, which would help fund tobacco prevention efforts. <\/p>\n The governor\u2019s proposal to raise the cigarette tax from $2 to $3 per pack would raise an estimated $232 million for Medicaid, not tobacco prevention. But advocates say the tax increase \u2013 which would be the state\u2019s first in 22 years \u2013 could deter tobacco use. <\/p>\n Neither proposal seems likely to advance in Lansing, given opposition from state House Speaker Matt Hall<\/a>, R-Richland Township. <\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re not going to do any of that,\u201d Hall said after Whitmer unveiled her executive budget and tax proposals in February. \u201cThere will be no tax increases in this budget when we do this deal.\u201d<\/p>\n ___<\/p>\n