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Tobacco Business Expands Lobbying Efforts by 24% throughout the U.S. in 2025
New Information Launched in ASH’s Lobbyist Tracker
WASHINGTON, DC – JULY 31, 2025 – Motion on Smoking and Well being (ASH) launched the 4th version of the U.S. Tobacco Business Lobbyist and Lobbying Agency Registration Tracker to shine a lightweight on the well-funded tobacco business lobbying machine that seeks to guard its earnings to the detriment of all People’ well being. The Tracker goals to help advocates and policymakers who’re dedicated to enacting robust public well being measures and perceive they have to actively exclude tobacco corporations to take action.
There may be an irreconcilable battle of curiosity between tobacco corporations and public well being.
Sadly, there was a 24% enhance in tobacco business registrations in 2025, with 1,275 lobbyist or lobbying agency registrations in comparison with 1,027 registrations in 2024.
“Tobacco merchandise kill when used as supposed. Anybody advocating on behalf of the pursuits of the tobacco business must be ignored. Tobacco lobbyists’ pursuits are diametrically against the pursuits of public well being,” stated Nichelle Grey, Supervisor of Engagement and Particular Packages at Motion on Smoking and Well being (ASH) and lead researcher for the ASH Lobbyist Tracker. “The ASH Lobbyist Tracker attracts a transparent line within the sand and permits advocates, policymakers, and the general public to know who to belief and who to disregard on public well being insurance policies.”
Pennsylvania and Florida stay the 2 U.S. states with essentially the most tobacco business lobbyists, with New Jersey leaping into third place over Tennessee, now in fourth place for 2025.
“The dramatic enhance in lobbyists exhibits the tobacco business hasn’t modified and is doing greater than ever to battle efficient insurance policies that shield children and save lives,” stated Annie Tegen, Vice President for State Advocacy Packages on the Marketing campaign for Tobacco-Free Youngsters. “This worthwhile software shines a shiny highlight on the business’s dangerous lobbying and will encourage policymakers at each degree to aspect with children and public well being over Huge Tobacco.”
Lobbying just isn’t inherently problematic; the issue arises when lobbyists work on behalf of corporations whose merchandise kill when used precisely as supposed. There is no such thing as a protected use of cigarettes; they kill roughly two-thirds of long-time customers and sicken thousands and thousands extra yearly.
“Huge Tobacco and their allies proceed to infiltrate the halls of Capitol buildings throughout the nation via their community of lobbyists that present problematic coverage language typically disguised as enterprise rights and have the audacity to say to be a part of the regulatory and prevention course of,” stated Traci Kennedy, Midwest States Strategist at People for Nonsmokers’ Rights. “A software that enables advocates to extra exactly perceive the correlation between lobbyists, lawmakers and political contributions is crucial to defeating rollback threats in addition to stopping business language from turning into the regulation of the land.”
Cigarettes are extraordinarily addictive and may trigger illness in almost each organ of the physique. Their producers haven’t any place in public well being policymaking. When it’s not potential to actively exclude tobacco business representatives resulting from U.S. regulation, we should guarantee their “recommendation” is ignored.
Key Insights from the ASH Tracker:
– In 2025, ASH recognized 1,275 tobacco business lobbyist or lobbying agency registrations, involving 1,140 distinct lobbyists or lobbying companies. This can be a 24% enhance in tobacco business registrations in comparison with 2024 (1,027 registrations) and a 37.5% enhance since 2023 (927 registrations).
– As of July 1, 2025, tobacco corporations have already spent $8,375,000 to make use of 217 lobbyists of which 72.35% are former authorities workers, who could have elevated entry and leverage.
– Vapor Know-how Affiliation noticed essentially the most vital enhance from 19 registrations in 2024 to 87 in 2025, a358% enhance.
– JUUL registrations, which had dropped considerably from 95 in 2023 to 26 in 2024 (a decline of 73%), elevated to 56 in 2025—marking a 115% rise in comparison with 2024.
– Philip Morris Worldwide (PMI) noticed a rise from 145 registrations in 2024 to 206 registrations in 2025, a 42% enhance.
– Reynolds noticed a rise from 197 registrations in 2024 to 217 registrations in 2025, a ten% enhance.
– In at the very least 13 states—together with Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Indiana, Massachusetts, Michigan, Nebraska, New York, Pennsylvania, and Rhode Island—and the District of Columbia, lobbying companies or employers can register rather than particular person lobbyists, permitting the tobacco business to masks from public view the precise quantity and names of particular person lobbyists who’re engaged on their behalf in these states.
The ASH Lobbyist Tracker is a groundbreaking software that empowers health-focused policymakers, advocates, and the general public with unprecedented transparency into the tobacco business’s lobbying actions.
Information from all 50 U.S. states and the District of Columbia are actually compiled and standardized to reveal who’s lobbying for Huge Tobacco—and the way a lot money and time they spend to undermine public well being. By revealing the scope and scale of tobacco business affect, the Tracker helps advocates demand accountability and push again in opposition to the business’s efforts to dam lifesaving insurance policies and keep its lethal enterprise mannequin.
ASH and companions People for Non-People who smoke’ Rights Basis (ANRF) and the Marketing campaign for Tobacco-Free Youngsters are internet hosting a webinar Thursday, July 31, 2025 from 12:00pm – 1:00pm Jap to debate tobacco business lobbying within the U.S. Register at no cost right here>
ACTION ON SMOKING AND HEALTH
Based in 1967, Motion on Smoking and Well being (ASH) is America’s oldest anti-tobacco group, devoted to a world with ZERO tobacco deaths. As a result of tobacco is the main reason behind preventable demise worldwide, ASH helps daring options proportionate to the magnitude of the issue. ash.org
