TOBACCO HARM REDUCTION 101: MISSSIPPI

Key Points: 

• Mississippi’s vaping industry provided more than $169 million in economic activity in 2018 while generating 963 direct vaping-related jobs. Sales of disposables and prefilled cartridges in Mississippi exceeded $4.3 million in 2016.

• As of November 26, 2019, MSDH has reported 11 cases of vaping-related lung illness. MSDH notes that 73 percent of patients reported vaping THC and/or CBD vaping products. MSDH earns an A for its reporting on vaping-related lung illnesses.

• In 2018, 6.6 percent of Mississippi high school students reported using vapor products on 20 or more days, while 62 percent reported never trying vapor products. More data is needed.  

• Only 2 percent of FDA retail compliance checks in Mississippi resulted in sales of e-cigarettes to minors from January 1, 2018 to September 30, 2019.

• Mississippi spends very little on tobacco prevention. In 2019, Mississippi dedicated only $8.4 million on tobacco control, or 3 percent of what the state received in tobacco settlement payments and taxes.