Majority of Americans back ban on tobacco products, CDC study reveals

A majority of American adults would favor a sweeping ban on tobacco products, according to a study from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Conducted from March to April of 2021, the study used a web panel survey of 6,455 participants, aged 18 or older, and was released Thursday. The survey results were weighted to match population proportions from the U.S. Census Bureau.

"To what extent would you support a policy to prohibit the sale of all tobacco products?" the survey asked. A clear majority of respondents, 57.3%, backed such a ban. That figure was higher among woman, 62.2%, than among men, 52.2%.

A further 62.3% endorsed a ban on menthol cigarettes specifically. Again, woman backed the measure in greater numbers, 65.0%, than men did, 59.5%, though both groups were majority in favor.

The CDC acknowledged that its methodology, including the self-reported nature of much of the data, placed significant limits on the use of the survey's data in drawing conclusions about national opinion. It further asserted that the study does not "specify support for policies at a specific level of government."

The Food and Drug Administration proposed a ban on menthol cigarettes and flavored cigars in April of 2022, though it did not enact such a measure.