Teen smoking falls to record low, study finds

Cigarette smoking among U.S. teenagers dropped to a record low in 2012, a decline that may have been partly driven by an increase in the federal tobacco tax, researchers said.

The Wall Street Journal: Teen Smoking Keeps Falling
Cigarette use among U.S. teenagers fell to historic lows and a four-year rise in marijuana use appears to have leveled off, according to a national study released Wednesday. The annual report, funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse and conducted by the University of Michigan, found the number of teenagers who reported smoking cigarettes in the prior 30 days fell to 10.6% this year from 11.7% in 2011, the lowest level recorded since the survey began in 1975 (Dooren, 12/19).

USA Today: Survey: 1 In 15 High School Seniors Smoking Pot
As states increasingly adopt laws allowing medical marijuana, fewer teens see occasional marijuana use as harmful, the largest national survey of youth drug use has found. Nearly 80% of high school seniors don't consider occasional marijuana use harmful -; the highest rate since 1983 -; and one in 15 smoke nearly every day, according to the annual survey of eighth-, 10th- and 12th-graders made public Wednesday (Leger, 12/19).

Reuters: U.S. Teen Smoking Declines To Record Low In 2012: Study
Cigarette smoking among American teenagers dropped to a record low in 2012, a decline that may have been partly driven by a sharp hike in the federal tobacco tax, researchers said on Wednesday. An annual survey of about 45,000 students in the eighth, 10th and 12th grades found that the overall proportion of those saying they had smoked in the prior 30 days fell by just over a percentage point to 10.6 percent (Gorman, 12/19).