NYC SMOKE RATES DROP TO 14 PERCENT

The number of New Yorkers who smoke has dropped to 14 percent, down from 22 percent in 2002.

There are 450,000 fewer adult smokers in New York City than there were nine years ago, says Mayor Michael Bloomberg on Thursday who credited the city’s tough anti-cigarette policies.

Smoking by teens has also dropped to 7, down from 18 percent in 2001.

Bloomberg said the drop in smoking will prevent 50,000 premature deaths by the year 2052.

To read more about New York City’s anti-smoking policies, click here.