Smoking drops dramatically over a decade for New Mexico high school students Youth cigarette smoking dropped from 24.2 percent in 2007 to 10.6 percent of New Mexico high school students in 2017

From Staff Reports | Ruidoso News

The rate of cigarette smoking by New Mexico high school students is lower than ever before, dropping by more than 50 percent over the last decade, officials with the New Mexico Department of Health report.

According to data from the 2017 New Mexico Youth Risk and Resiliency Survey, youth cigarette smoking has dropped from 24.2 percent in 2007 to nearly one in ten, or 10.6 percent, New Mexico high school students in 2017. Usage rates for other tobacco products including cigars, chew/spit tobacco, and hookahm,a large water pipe used to smoke tobacco, also fell to historic lows.

“It’s great news that New Mexico youth are smoking fewer cigarettes and that rates for most tobacco products continue to see significant declines,” Department of Health Cabinet Secretary Lynn Gallagher said. “At NMDOH, it’s one of our priorities to educate our youth about the risks and dangers of tobacco, that can go a long way toward making cigarettes uncool and out of fashion.”

Staff of NMDOH continues to work towards further decreasing rates of smoking and other tobacco use among youth, which includes addressing the growing trend of the use of e-cigarettes and other electronic vapor products.

Multiple NMDOH campaigns and resources are focused on preventing youth and young adults from starting to use tobacco products, including "Evolvement," a youth movement working to decrease the harmful, addictive use of commercial tobacco; "24/7 Tobacco Free Schools," a program in which students reach out to administrators of local school districts to assure campuses are tobacco free 24 hours a day, seven days a week; " No Minor Sale," a campaign educating New Mexico communities, parents and retailers to help prevent illegal tobacco sales to minors; and "Tobacco Free Campuses New Mexico," providing technical assistance and resources for New Mexico colleges and universities committed to implementing tobacco-free campus policies.

People who stop smoking can greatly reduce their risk for disease and premature death as well as help protect children, family, friends and pets from exposure to secondhand smoke that can cause immediate harm to those who breathe it, according to the department's release on the statistics.

For support in quitting smoking and other tobacco use, New Mexicans can call 1-800-QUIT NOW (1-800-784-8669) or 1-855-DEJELO YA (1-855-335-3569) for nicotine patches, gum, or lozenges for registered participants, along with a quit plan and sessions with a trained coach – all at no cost to residents.

Web-based services can be found at QuitNowNM.com and DejeloYaNM.com that also offer additional online support. NMDOH services offer 24-hour text message support.