Oregon Public Broadcasting

A report out Tuesday shows that fewer Oregonians are smoking tobacco now than in 2008. Ryan Knutson reports.

The largest drop was among high school students, who fell 3-percentage points, making their smoking rate just 16-percent, which about matches the percentage of adults who smoke.

The report gave Oregon mixed grades on its tobacco policies.

Bans on smoking in most public places earned the state an A in the “Smokefree air” category, but a relatively low cigarette tax earned a D.

Colleen Hermann-Franzen of the American Lung Association in Oregon says more needs to be done to protect children, noting that the state earned an F for the amount it spends on prevention programs.

Colleen Hermann-Franzen : “Often times with these new tobacco products you’ll find that they’re brightly colored, lots of flavors, really intended to hook a new generation.”

Adult smoking is down in Oregon by nearly 30-percent since 1996.