US Adult Cigarette Smoking Rate Drops to All-Time Low – What Does This Mean?

A new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says that cigarette smoking in the US dropped to an all-time low last year. Only 1 out of 9 adults reported that they are smokers while 1 out of 17 adults said they use e-cigarettes. This data came from responses from over 27,000 adult participants in the survey.

Back in the 1960s, 42% of adults in the USA smoked cigarettes. However, over time this number has steadily decreased due to several causes such as higher prices for tobacco products, increased taxes on cigarettes and changing attitudes to smoking in public places. Cigarette smoking is linked to diseases like lung cancer, stroke, and heart disease – which are among the top preventable causes of death.

Last year, the amount of adults smoking cigarettes dropped to 11%, which is lower than in 2020 and 2021 when it was about 12.5%. Soon, the Centre for Disease Control will announce their final data from 2021 after doing extra research.

Research also showed that e-cigarette use rose to 6% last year compared to only 4.5% the year before!

Dr. Jonathan Samet, the dean of Colorado School of Public Health, is concerned about how many people are using e-cigarettes. The American Heart Association says that when you become addicted to nicotine, it comes with some health risks like high blood pressure and your arteries becoming too narrow.

Samet, who has been working on reports about the effects of smoking for over 40 years, said that he believes regular smoking will slow down but it’s not clear if the use of nicotine products will go down with more popular electronic alternatives.

Last year, there were very few high school students who smoke usual cigarettes – only about 2%. However, the rate was much higher for teens who use e-cigarettes. About 14% of them used E-cigarettes!