TOBACCO HARM REDUCTION 101: NEW JERSEY

Key Points: 

• New Jersey’s vaping industry provided more than $565 million in economic activity in 2018 while generating 2,119 direct vaping-related jobs. Sales of disposables and prefilled cartridges in New Jersey exceeded $34.4 million in 2016.

• As of December 31, 2019, NJDH has reported 56 cases of vaping-related lung illness, including one death. NJDH reports do not offer details on substances vaped. NJDH earns a D for its reporting on vaping-related lung illnesses.

• In 2016, only 9.6 percent of New Jersey high school students reported using vapor products on at least one day in the previous 30 days. There is no data on frequent and/or daily use. More data is needed.  

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

• New Jersey spends very little on tobacco prevention. In 2019, New Jersey dedicated only $7.2 million on tobacco control, or less than 1 percent of what the state received in tobacco settlement payments and taxes.