Cigarette smoking rates and lung cancer deaths have declined in New Jersey over the past two decades and these rates remain lower than the nation at large. But policy experts say the tobacco industry continues to block changes — on the state and federal levels — that would make for cleaner air and healthier communities, particularly for people of color.
The American Lung Association’s 2025 State of Tobacco Control report, released Wednesday, urged state lawmakers to end the portion of the state’s 2005 Smoke-Free Air Act that allows people to smoke inside New Jersey casinos. The annual report also called on state leaders to ban menthol cigarettes, increase tobacco taxes and invest more in anti-smoking initiatives.
