Cigarette Use An estimated 50 million Americans were current smokers in 1993. This represents a smoking rate of 24 percent. Current cigarette smoking has declined since 1985, when 60 million Americans were smokers and the rate was 31 percent. Among youths age 12-17, rates of smoking have stabilized at about 10 percent. Rates were about the same for 12-17 year old males and females in both 1992 and 1993.
Current smokers are more likely to be heavy drinkers and illicit drug users.
Among nonsmokers, 3.4 percent were heavy drinkers and 3.5 percent were illicit drug users. The percentage of 12-17 year olds that perceive great risk in using illicit drugs increased between 1985 and 1990, but changed little since 1990. In 1993, only about half of youths reported great risk in using marijuana occasionally and trying cocaine, PCP, or heroin. Thirty-nine percent reported that cocaine was easy to get.