Research Reveals Potential Reversal of Decline of High-School Smoking New research from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control's Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance Report shows a small, though statistically insignificant, increase in high school smoking. This slight increase follows a historic 40 percent decline in high school smoking between the years 1997 and 2003. Just six months ago, the University of Michigan's Monitoring the Future Survey showed a small, also statistically insignificant, decline in youth smoking. Either way, youth smoking prevalence appears to have plateaued. This disturbing trend suggests a stall and we must act now to continue the decline. Since more than 80 percent of smokers begin before the age of 18, an increase - although slight - in teen smoking is disturbing for the future health of our nation. Teen smokers often become adult, life-long smokers - at risk for cancer, heart disease and other tobacco-related illnesses. This potential reversal of the decline in high school smoking comes at a time when state and local budgets for tobacco-prevention programs have been on the decline. Many youth smoking-prevention campaigns, such as the American Legacy Foundation®'s award-winning truth® campaign, have been proven effective in keeping teens from taking up the life-threatening habit of smoking. Resources at both the local and national level are vitally important to combat the more than 41 million dollars a day the tobacco industry spends on marketing its deadly products in the U.S. alone. The report from the CDC is a warning to act now in support of tobacco prevention efforts across the U.S.