Teen Smoking to Lowest Level in Years

There's good news in the effort to keep underage youth from smoking.

For the third year in a row, there has been "substantial" progress toward reducing underage youth's access to tobacco. All 50 states are in compliance with tobacco laws and the rate of tobacco sales to minors nationwide is 9.9%, according to a report released Tuesday by the federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. That's far below the 40.1% in 1997 or the 16.3% in 2002, SAMHSA said.

In West Virginia, the so-called Synar Retailer Violation Rate was 14.2%, below the national target rate of 20%. It was better than neighboring Ohio (whose retailer violation rate was 17%) but not as good as Pennsylvania (6.8%). The states with the best rates were Arkansas (4.2%), Montana (4.1%) and Wisconsin (4.5%). The highest rate was in Ohio.

The report can be found here. (PDF reader here.)

Usage rates are down as well. Only 9.8% of youth nationwide ages 12 to 17 reported using cigarettes within the past month compared to 13% in 2002.

"This report along with other published studies indicates that real progress is being made in preventing illegal tobacco sales to minors," SAMHSA acting administrator Eric Broderick said in a statement released by SAMHSA. "Continued state vigilance will build on our track record of success in protecting children from the public health menace of tobacco."

While advocates generally hailed the news, at least one was concerned that cuts to state spending on tobacco prevention and control could change the numbers.

"We need to continue this good work and can't let cuts to state programs undercut this process," Danny McGoldrick, vp of research for the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, told USA Today.