Report Card
Enforcement
Georgia’s statewide Tobacco Retail License fee of $10 isn’t adequate nor is it designated to fund enforcement. Their Department of Revenue is the designated enforcement agency that does not have a mandated number of compliance checks to be conducted. ID check for cigarettes is only required if the purchaser appears under legal age and penalties are placed on “Person” making it ambiguous who is actually penalized; all that could lead to poor retailer compliance.
Tobacco Retail License
- Comprehensive statewide Tobacco Retail License covering all tobacco products
- Multiple Tobacco Retail Licenses that cover all tobacco products
- Tobacco Retail License only covers cigarettes and NOT e-cigarettes
- No statewide Tobacco Retail License
Preemption
- No preemption
- Preempted from raising the sales age
- Preempted from creating a Tobacco Retail License
All public health is local. Often Big Tobacco works to add preemption to statewide tobacco control bills so cities and counties are unable to enact laws that better protect the public.
High School Vaping Rate
17%
of High School Seniors have vaped in the past 30 days
Tobacco Prevention vs. Industry Marketing
$1 : $443
Georgia spends $750,000 in tobacco prevention efforts and the tobacco industry spends $332.4M in marketing. For every $1 spent in prevention, Big Tobacco spends $443 in marketing.
Tax per pack of cigarettes
$0.37
E-cigarette tax: $0.00
State Rank: 50
Higher tobacco taxes are associated with decreases in tobacco use and increases in cessation and lower youth initiation.
Annual State Healthcare Costs due to Tobacco Use
$3.18 billion
Information updated Nov 2020. Please contact megan.boelter@tobacco21.org if you have suggested updates.