Tobacco.org

Ariz. drop in smoking is largest in nation 

The number of adult Arizonans who smoke dropped by nearly 20 percent since 2007,, according to a new report being released today.

That decline is the sharpest in the nation, said Bill Pfeifer, president of the American Lung Association of Arizona, which released the survey.

The study, based on monthly telephone surveys, shows the percentage of Arizonans 18 and older who smoke dropped to about 16 percent.

In human terms, it translates into 170,000 people who no longer are smoking.

Pfeifer said a 1994 voter-approved tax on tobacco to fund anti-smoking programs is paying off.

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