Approximately 4.5 million youths age 12-17 were current smokers in 1995. The rate of smoking among youths age 12-17 was 20 percent. The rate was 18.9 percent in 1994, but this does not represent a statistically significant change.
Youths age 12-17 who smoked were about 8 times as likely to use illicit drugs and 11 times as likely to drink heavily as nonsmoking youths (Figure 9).
