Adult U.S. Smokers Drops Below 20 Percent
(Washington, DC) -- For the first time on record, the number of American adult smokers has dropped below 20-percent. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about 19-point-eight percent of U.S. adults were smokers in 2007. The new data is a percentage point below the figure for 2006 and comes after three years of little progress in cutting the smoking rate. Thomas Glynn of the American Cancer Society says three factors have contributed in driving down smoking rates. Glynn cites banning smoking in public places, higher taxes that drive up the cost of cigarettes and more drugs to help people kick the nicotine habit.
Despite some progress that has been made, an official with the CDC's Office on Smoking and Health said, quote, "there's a long way to go." Cigarettes claim the lives of nearly a half-million people in the U.S. every year due to cancer, lung disease, heart disease and other causes. Along with the physical toll, smoking exacts a heavy economic cost as well. |