The smoking rate among adults in Oklahoma has reached a new low, reports member station KGOU.According to a press release from the Oklahoma State Department of Health, the number of adult smokers dropped by almost 80,000 between 2013 and 2014. Over the last four years, the number of smokers in Oklahoma has declined by almost 20 percent.
The state has now risen in rank of per-capita smokers from forty-seventh in the nation to fortieth. State health commissioner Terry Cline praised the achievement. But he stressed that the state’s tobacco rate remains above the national average, which he said is unacceptable.
The decline in smokers comes after a concerted effort by Oklahoma officials to reduce smoking. But other factors also contributed to the drop, including increased health awareness and the rising cost of cigarettes.