Smoking Rates Rise

Smoking rates among US adults are rising for the first time since 1994, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). In 2008, approximately 21 percent of US adults were regular smokers, up from 19.8 percent in 2007, according to a report released November 12 by the CDC. Health officials point to the price of cigarettes, which is not rising as aggressively as in the past. Between 1997 and 2004, cigarette prices rose 63 percent, but prices only rose two percent between 2004 and 2008. The CDC also released a state-by-state survey of smoking rates and found that Utah has the least amount of smokers at nine percent.