Statehouses are a hotbed of tobacco lobbying and legislation

WASHINGTON — Around the country, statehouses from Harrisburg, Pa., to Tallahassee, Fla., are being flooded with tobacco industry lobbyists, according to a new report from the anti-smoking advocacy group Action on Smoking and Health. 

There are now at least 950 lobbyists representing cigarette, vape, and snus companies in statehouses around the country, according to the latest edition of the group’s Tobacco Industry Lobbyist and Lobbying Firm Registration Tracker, which was released Thursday. The number of lobbying registrations tied to tobacco companies jumped over 10% from 2023 to 2024. 

ASH’s overall tally, which is based on publicly available lobbying registration data, is likely an undercount because several states only require lobbying firms, not individual lobbyists, to register with the state. 

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