NPR

How To Drive Down Smoking In Groups That Still Light Up

Only around 15 percent of adults in America smoke — but that still leaves 40 million people who smoke cigarettes, and many of them belong to the most vulnerable population groups.
Smoking is the No. 1 cause of death among people with severe mental illness.

Advertising campaigns, tobacco taxes and public bans have lowered rates of smoking significantly in the U.S. since the 1960s. And for people who never smoke or manage to quit, there are major health benefits: lower risk of cancer, heart problems and stroke.

But 15 percent of Americans — about 40 million people — continue to smoke.

Who are they? And why are they still smoking?

"There's a massive disparity in, a researcher at the American Cancer Society and lead author of a study appearing Wednesday in the journal .

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