Smoking Among Teenagers Drops by More Than a Third

Smoking among California teenagers fell by more than a third last year, prompting Gov. Gray Davis to proclaim Wednesday that a decade of anti-smoking efforts in California is paying off.

A survey by the state Department of Health Services shows that 6.9% of the state’s youths ages 12 to 17 smoked in 1999, a drop from 10.7% in 1998.

Smoking among adults fell slightly last year to 18% from 18.4% in 1998, and was far less than the 25% of Californians who smoked in the late 1980s before California voters approved an initiative that funded the state’s anti-tobacco campaign. Nationally, a fourth of adults smoke.

“This survey shows that our efforts are reducing youth smoking,” Davis said in a statement, adding that California’s anti-smoking programs have led to the decreases.

But even as they applauded the overall declines, several anti-smoking advocates attributed the latest decline to a voter-approved initiative that raised cigarette prices 50 cents a pack in 1999.

Also in 1999, cigarette makers raised prices by about 45 cents per pack, as companies passed along costs from the $200-billion settlement of a nationwide class action suit brought by states.

“The precipitous drop is because the prices were raised,” said actor and producer Rob Reiner, who sponsored Proposition 10 in 1998 to raise cigarette taxes by 50 cents a pack. “Every study shows that the single best way to reduce teen smoking is to raise prices.”

Although the governor’s statement cited the fall in smoking among teenagers and the slight decline among all adults, the full health department survey shows that smoking is rising among young adults, ages 18 to 24. About 22.7% smoked last year, up from 22% in 1998, and from 16.3% in 1994.

“That’s bad news; that’s worse than bad,” said Marc Burgat, spokesman for the American Heart Assn. “The tobacco industry is targeting them and we’re not responding.”

There are several theories about the increase. One is that young adults were influenced by ads from their youth, particularly the Joe Camel cartoon character. Additionally, young adults are a major focus of tobacco industry marketing now, as cigarette makers sponsor events at bars and take out ads in college and alternative publications.

“Their campaign is working with young adults, and [the state is] not responding to their tactics,” said Paul Knepprath of the American Lung Assn. of California.

He and others said increased smoking among young adults could result in more tobacco use by teenagers, because middle school and high school-age children view young adults as role models.

California’s anti-smoking effort is funded by a separate 25-cent-per-pack tax imposed by voters when they approved Proposition 99 in 1998. California will spend about $115 million on anti-tobacco efforts this year, including $45 million for anti-tobacco advertising.

Davis, who touted his anti-tobacco credentials when he ran for governor, increasingly is the target of criticism by tobacco opponents, who demand that he sharply increase the state program, and that his administration start airing tougher anti-tobacco television ads.

Former Davis spokesman Michael Bustamante had said earlier this year that a new batch of anti-tobacco ads would be released by mid-May. A state health department official said Wednesday that the Screen Actors Guild strike is slowing production.

“The Davis administration has done nothing to reduce tobacco use,” said anti-smoking advocate Stanton Glantz, UC San Francisco medical professor. “The word everyone uses is ‘disappointment.’ ”

Contending that price hikes brought about by initiatives and litigation are causing the drop in youth smoking, Glantz said, “For him to claim credit for the reductions for what the voters did is outrageous.”

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Smoking Drop

Smoking among California youths and adults has declined.

Source: California Dept. of Health Services