State Highlights

 

North Carolina

Monitor

In North Carolina, 20.9% of the adult population (aged 18+ years)—over 1,458,000 individuals—are current cigarette smokers. Across all states, the prevalence of cigarette smoking among adults ranges from 9.3% to 26.5%. North Carolina ranks 38th among the states.

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Among youth aged 12–17 years, 10.8% smoke in North Carolina. The range across all states is 6.5% to 15.9%. North Carolina ranks 25th among the states.

Among adults aged 35+ years, over 12,300 died as a result of tobacco use per year, on average, during 2000–2004. This represents a smoking-attributable mortality rate of 298.4/100,000. North Carolina's smoking-attributable mortality rate ranks 38th among the states.

Protect

North Carolina does not have a statewide smoke-free law that provides adequate protection against exposure to secondhand smoke in public places. The law preempts local communities from enacting local smoke-free restrictions.

Among adults who work indoors, the percentage who reported anyone smoking in their work area within the preceding 2 weeks has remained higher in North Carolina than in the nation overall. Currently, North Carolina ranks 40th among the states for workplace exposure, at 8.8%.

Offer

Best Practices estimates 8% of smokers could access quitlines each year. In North Carolina, 1.2% of smokers called their quitline.

The Medicaid fee-for-service program in North Carolina provides full coverage for tobacco dependence treatment. North Carolina's Medicaid policy provides coverage for both bupropion and varenicline. North Carolina's Medicaid policy does not provide coverage for individual, group or telephone counseling.

Warn

Smoke-free home rules represent awareness of the dangers of secondhand smoke. In North Carolina, as in the nation, an increasing number of families have such a rule.

Currently, 73.1% of North Carolina homes have this rule. North Carolina ranks 37th among the states.

Rating point data were available for 42 states and the District of Columbia. Best Practices recommendations translate into an average of 800 targeted rating points (TRPs) in effective youth and 1200 gross rating points (GRPs) in effective general audience antitobacco media campaigns per quarter. North Carolina's major media market(s) aired an average of 308 youth TRPs and 549 general audience GRPs per quarter in 2008. North Carolina ranks 4th among the states for the number of youth TRPs and 11th among the states for the number of general audience GRPs aired.

Enforce

North Carolina preempts local regulation of tobacco industry promotions, sampling and display of tobacco products in commercial establishments.

North Carolina requires all establishments selling tobacco products over the counter and by vending machine to be licensed. Currently, 38 states require licensure for both over the counter and vending machine sales.

Raise

North Carolina maintains a $0.45 per pack tax and ranks 44th among the states.

North Carolina does not have a minimum price law.

Approximately 35% of the annual revenue generated from state excise taxes and settlement payments would fund North Carolina's tobacco control program at the Best Practices recommended amount. However, in 2007, North Carolina's funding for tobacco control was 16.0% of the recommended level. North Carolina ranks 27th among the states.