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· New York
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Youth smoking rate in state drops to 13.8 percent as costs, anti-tobacco programs increase
Jump to full article: Albany (NY) Times-Union, 2008-07-02
Author: CATHLEEN F. CROWLEY, Staff writer
Intro: Smoking rates among New York youth have reached their lowest mark in 20 years.
According to the state Health Department, 13.8 percent of teenagers smoke in the state, compared with the national rate of 20 percent in the most recent survey of high school students. Smoking among teens in the state has declined 58 percent since 1997, when 32.9 percent smoked.
While the rates continue to drop here, nationally they have leveled off at around 20 percent. Anti-smoking advocates cite three reasons for the state's success:
The high cigarette tax, now up to $2.75, which affects children with less discretionary money.
The state's 5-year-old Clean Indoor Air Act, which bans smoking from many public places, means children see fewer smokers.
A state-funded anti-smoking campaign that has been sustained for more than six years.
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