Addressing Use of Cigars

What you can do to take action

People in all sectors, including government, parents or teachers, and health professionals, can take action to prevent the use of cigars and help people quit.

States, communities, tribes, and territories

States, communities, tribes, and territories can fairly and equitably implement evidence-based, population-level strategies that address the use of all forms of tobacco products, including cigars. Strategies include:

• Implementing smokefree policies that prohibit the use of commercial tobacco products, including cigars, in public places and workplaces. Comprehensive smokefree policies can help people quit smoking and can help keep young people from starting to smoke.
• Licensing retailers who sell any type of tobacco product. This identifies who sells cigars and other tobacco products. It also can help governments implement and enforce tobacco control policies more equitably.
• Making it unlawful to sell flavored cigars and other tobacco products. Studies of local U.S. policies show that restricting the sale of flavored tobacco products, including flavored cigars, reduces tobacco use.12 As of October 2024, three states and nearly 390 U.S. communities have laws prohibiting the sale of flavored tobacco products, including flavored cigars.3
• Raising the price of cigars and other tobacco products and not allowing price discounts.
• Reducing the advertising and marketing of cigars and other tobacco products to young people.
• Ensuring that all people who use tobacco products have access to evidence-based quitting resources to help them quit successfully. This includes counseling and medication.
• Tailoring cessation messages to better reach people who use cigars.
• Developing educational initiatives that describe targeted tobacco industry marketing tactics. These types of education can also warn about the risks of tobacco product use, including cigars.

Parents and teachers can:

• Learn about the health effects of cigars and how tobacco companies market cigars to specific groups of people, including young people.
• Encourage kids who use tobacco products, including cigars, to take advantage of quitting resources in their community.
• Talk to children, teens, and young adults about why all forms of tobacco products are harmful.
• Develop and equitably implement and enforce tobacco-free school policies that address all types of tobacco products. These policies should include non-punitive penalties and restorative justice principles.
• Implement school prevention and cessation programs that are free from tobacco industry influence. These programs should include education about cigars. Parents and teachers can also tailor these programs to the groups the tobacco industry targets with cigar marketing.

Health professionals can:

• Learn about the different types of tobacco products and their associated risks.
• Ask all patients if they use any tobacco products, including cigars.
• Talk to children, teens, and young adults about why all forms of tobacco products are harmful.
• Encourage patients to quit using tobacco products and provide them with support and evidence-based treatments to help them quit successfully.

Free quit resources

Telephone

• 1-800-QUIT-NOW
• 1-855-DÉJELO-YA (Español)
• 1-800-838-8917 (中文)
• 1-800-556-5564 (한국어)
• 1-800-778-8440 (Tiếng Việt)

Smartphone apps and text

• Text QUITNOW to 333888 (Message and data rates may apply.)
• quitSTART app

Web

• Quit Smoking (En Español)
• Smokefree.gov (En Español)
• Asian Smokers' Quitline