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Youth smoking declines in Missouri

By AP/KWMU

Jefferson City, Mo. – Missouri teens aren't lighting up the way they did a decade ago.

In 1994, a survey found that about 40 percent of high school students had recently smoked cigarettes.

But last year, barely 21 percent of surveyed high school students said they had smoked one or more cigarettes in the past 30 days.

While applauding the decline, some anti-smoking activists are surprised by it.

The state spends about $2 million dollars on anti-tobacco efforts.

But the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommend Missouri spend at least $33 million annually on a comprehensive anti-tobacco program.

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