Cancer Weekly

Teen smoking has been dropping steadily since it reached peak rates in 1996 and 1997, the editors of Cancer Weekly contend in the following viewpoint. According to the editors, between 2001 and 2002, the proportion of teens who said they had ever smoked declined by four or five percentage points in grades eight, ten, and twelve. The editors contend that several factors—including increasing cigarette prices, less advertising that reaches young people, more antismoking ads, and a great deal of negative publicity about smoking—could be responsible for the decrease. Cancer Weekly is a newsletter that reports on the latest oncology developments.

As you read, consider the following questions:

1. According to the editors, why do researchers expect fewer smokers in the upper grades over the next few years?
2. Why have cigarette prices increased since 1998, in the editors...