Drops in Smoking Rates Plateau

November 14, 2007 -- For 40 years smoking rates have been on the decline, but for the past three years this trend has stalled and among high school students even reversed slightly, according to a report recently released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Currently 20.8 percent of adult Americans are smokers. Roughly 36 million people smoke every day, and another 9 million smoke on some days. From 1997 to 2004, adult smoking rates had declined each year, dropping by 15 percent overall during that period. Tobacco use claims about 440,000 lives every year, including 50,000 deaths from secondhand smoke. Smoking-related health costs are estimated to be $89 billion a year.

The Institute of Medicine report Ending the Tobacco Problem: A Blueprint for the Nation proposed a detailed action plan for reducing tobacco use through a combination of initiatives including marketing and indoor air restrictions, tax hikes, increased funding for state programs, and federal regulatory control.

• Ending the Tobacco Problem: A Blueprint for the Nation

• CDC Smoking and Tobacco Use webpage