South Dakota

Statewide Tobacco 21 Grade

C

Report Card

Enforcement

South Dakota relies on the State Attorney’s office and local law enforcement to enforce their Tobacco 21 law. The involvement of law enforcement in this process is not recommended as it creates an unnecessary touch point for youth and police. South Dakota does not require age verification with a government issued ID for those who appear under the age of 30, specify the minimum number of compliance checks to be performed each year by retailer or specify the age of decoys to perform the compliance checks. Penalties for violation are placed on both the seller and on the patron. In addition the seller can only be penalized for one sale to a patron under the age of 21 per day. We expect to see a continuation of poor compliance in South Dakota as a result.

Tobacco Retail License

Preemption

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

23.9%

of High School Seniors have vaped in the past 30 days

Tobacco Prevention vs. Industry Marketing

$1 : $5

South Dakota spends $4.5M in tobacco prevention efforts and the tobacco industry spends $24.2M in marketing. For every $1 spent in prevention, Big Tobacco spends $5 in marketing.

Tax per pack of cigarettes

$1.53

E-cigarette tax: $0.00
State Rank: 28
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

$373 million

Information updated Nov 2020. Please contact megan.boelter@tobacco21.org if you have suggested updates.

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