Cigars Are a Public Health Problem

What to know

  • The tobacco industry designs and markets cigars to encourage use, especially among certain population groups.
  • Flavors make cigars appealing.
  • Lower prices make cigarillos and little cigars affordable to young people and other price-sensitive groups.
  • Advertising encourages use.

Cigar marketing

The tobacco industry designs and markets cigars to encourage use, especially among specific population groups.

Flavors make cigars appealing.

  • Overall cigar sales increased from 2009 to 2020 (from $2.47 billion to $3.27 billion). This is because of significant increases in the sale of flavored cigars.1
  • Tobacco companies use flavors to attract young people and women to use cigars.2
  • In 2023, of the 420,000 youth who reported that they currently smoke cigars, most reported using flavored cigars. That includes 53.1% of middle school students and 70.7% of high school students.3

Lower prices make cigarillos and little cigars affordable to young people and other price-sensitive population groups.

  • Most cigar sales from 2009 to 2020 were of cigars sold in small pack sizes, which make cigars more affordable.1 Tobacco companies commonly sell cigars as a single stick or in small pack sizes that may make them more appealing for young people to try.14
  • Neighborhoods with more Black or African American people or more people with lower incomes have more advertising for cigars and more stores that sell cigars. These neighborhoods also have more stores that put cigars in a place that may appeal to youth.56
  • Stores in neighborhoods with more African American people have lower prices for cigars.6
  • Little cigars are the same size and shape as cigarettes. They often include a filter and have similar packaging. While they are similar to cigarettes, governments and communities tax them differently. People who already smoke and are cost-conscious might switch from cigarettes to cheaper little cigars when cigarette prices increase. They may use cheaper tobacco products rather than quit using tobacco.78

Advertising encourages use.

  • Historically, older men in the United States smoked cigars. However, the industry's increased marketing of cigars to young people increased the prevalence of use among adolescents.4
  • Tobacco companies publish cigar ads in newspapers with many Black readers. More recently, they have advertised cigars on social media.9 They also use hip-hop and rap artists, models, and music that appeal to young people.26
  • The tobacco industry also promotes cigars as symbols of a luxurious and successful lifestyle. The following strategies contribute to the increased acceptability of cigar smoking:
    • Endorsements by celebrities
    • Development of cigar-focused lifestyle magazines that also advertise upscale clothing, luxury cars, jewelry, and other goods
    • Product placement in movies.10
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Content Source:
National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion; Office on Smoking and Health
  1. Delnevo CD, Miller Lo E, Giovenco DP, Cornacchione Ross J, Hrywna M, Strasser AA. Cigar sales in convenience stores in the US, 2009-2020. JAMA. 2021;326(23):2429–2432.
  2. Kostygina G, Glantz SA, Ling PM. Tobacco industry use of flavours to recruit new users of little cigars and cigarillos. Tob Control. 2016;25(1):66–74.
  3. Birdsey J, Cornelius M, Jamal A, et al. Tobacco product use among U.S. middle and high school students — National Youth Tobacco Survey, 2023. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2023;72(44):1173–1182.
  4. U.S. Dept of Health and Human Services. Preventing Tobacco Use Among Youth and Young Adults: A Report of the Surgeon General. U.S. Dept of Health and Human Services, 2012. Accessed December 13, 2024. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK99237/
  5. Kong AY, Queen TL, Golden SD, Ribisl KM. Neighborhood disparities in the availability, advertising, promotion, and youth appeal of little cigars and cigarillos, United States, 2015. Nicotine Tob Res. 2020; 22(12):2170–2177.
  6. Cruz TB, Rose SW, Lienemann BA, et al. Pro-tobacco marketing and anti-tobacco campaigns aimed at vulnerable populations: A review of the literature. Tob Induc Dis. 2019;17:68.
  7. King BA, Tynan MA, Dube SR, Arrazola R. Flavored-little-cigar and flavored-cigarette use among U.S. middle and high school students. J Adolesc Health. 2014;54(1):40–46.
  8. Gammon DG, Loomis BR, Dench DL, King BA, Fulmer EB, Rogers T. Effect of price changes in little cigars and cigarettes on little cigar sales: USA, Q4 2011–Q4 2013. Tob Control. 2016;25:538–544.
  9. O’Brien EK, Hoffman L, Navarro MA, Ganz O. Social media use by leading US e-cigarette, cigarette, smokeless tobacco, cigar and hookah brands. Tob Control. 2020;29(e1):e87–e97.
  10. National Cancer Institute. Cigars: Health Effects and Trends. Tobacco Control Monograph No. 9. National Institutes of Health, National Cancer Institute; 1998. https://cancercontrol.cancer.gov/brp/tcrb/monographs/monograph-09