New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said yesterday that the state’s smoking rate fell last year to a historic low of 7.3 percent among high school students and 14.5 percent among adults, according to a story by Joseph Sector for the Democrat and Chronicle, relayed by the TMA.
In 2011, smoking among high school students stood at 12.5 percent and smoking among adults stood at 18.1 percent.
The US national average smoking rate is 17.8 percent for adults.
New York State has the highest cigarette excise tax, $4.35 per pack, while New York City applies an additional tax of $1.50 per pack.
A February 2015 report by the Tax Foundation found that 58 percent of the state’s cigarette market was accounted for by illegal sales.
Cuomo said that the state health department had received about $10 million in federal funding to expand its program to reduce tobacco use.