Fantastic News – New Yorkers Light Up Less Than Most Americans
Fantastic news for the overall health of New Yorkers – our state has one of the lowest smoking rates in all of the United States!
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), only 13.9 percent of adults in New York smoke, which is significantly lower than the national average of 16.8 percent.
Public health officials are obviously thrilled by this news as they’ve worked for a very long time to reduce the smoking rates in New York. All sorts of measures have been taken to educate New Yorkers on the dangers of smoking such as implementing a number of measures to discourage smoking, increasing taxes on cigarettes, enforcing smoke-free laws, and funding anti-smoking campaigns.
While New York City has some of the strictest anti-smoking laws in the country the North Country region is still somewhat lax and the CDC data found that the smoking rate in that region is 20.2 percent, which is higher than the state average.
SEE ALSO: New York Expected To Substantially Increase Tax on Tobacco
Experts say more needs to be done to reduce smoking rates in areas such as the North Country region including increasing access to smoking cessation programs and raising public awareness about the dangers of smoking.
If you live in New York and are a smoker who wants to quit the habit, there are several resources available to you, including the free and confidential New York State Smokers' Quitline for support and information.
READ MORE: New York Tells Smokers To Leave Their Habit Behind or Get Fined
The New York State Smokers' Quitline number is 1-866-NYQUITS (1-866-697-8487). You can text the Quitline at 716- 309-4688, or you can get support and information online here.