美国的吸烟人数正在减少

In the mid-1960s, more than 40 percent of American adults smoked cigarettes, and more than half of all smokers smoked at least a pack a day, 20 cigarettes or more.

1960年代中期，美国成年人口中，吸烟者占百分之40，其中半数以上每天至少吸一包烟，也就是20支或者更多。

In the more than four decades since, those rates have declined dramatically. And University of California San Diego researcher John Pierce says heavy smoking rates dropped more in California than in other states.

从那时起，40多年来，这两个比率都在明显下降。加州大学圣地亚哥分校的研究员约翰·皮尔斯说，加州老烟枪比率的下降，比其它各州都快。

"In 2007, the smoking prevalence in California was 11 percent, versus 18 percent in the rest of the country," he says. "And of that 11 percent, only 20 percent are pack-a-day smokers, versus 40 percent in the rest of the country. So that's sort of how the numbers pan out."

他说：“2007年，加州烟民在总人口中占百分之11，当年全美国的比率是百分之18。而在加州百分之11的吸烟人口中，只有百分之20的人每天吸一包，而其它州是百分之40。”

For the new study, researchers used nationwide surveys that asked a total of 1.8 million people over the years about their smoking habits.

研究人员使用的数据，来自数年间对全国180万人进行的有关吸烟习惯的调查。

Pierce says that after the 1964 Surgeon General's report, which warned of health risks associated with smoking, California moved more aggressively than other states to discourage smoking.

皮尔斯说，美国联邦卫生总监1964年发表有关吸烟害处的报告后，加州比其它各州更积极地采取措施，劝止人们吸烟。

"California slapped on a big tax on cigarettes in 1967. Right from the get-go, they were aggressive in acting to disincentivize smoking."

“1967年，加州对香烟课以重税。他们一开始就以积极行动，抑制吸烟习惯。”

Money raised by the tax, says Pierce, helped pay for other anti-smoking programs. About the same time, smoking bans started to limit the public places where people could smoke.

皮尔斯说，香烟税用来支付其他戒烟计划的费用。同时，禁烟规定开始限制烟民们可以喷云吐雾的公共场所。

Pierce also shows that there are fewer heavy smokers in each new generation. Smokers typically hit their peak consumption in their 20s, and the data show that there are fewer heavy smokers among younger smokers today than in the past.

皮尔斯的研究结果同时显示，在每一代人中，烟瘾大的人数都在减少。一般来说，吸烟最多的时候是20多岁。但研究数据显示，现在烟瘾大的年轻人也比过去减少了。

The decline in heavy smoking may have had a positive effect on the health of Californians. The state's lung cancer rate, which was once higher than the rest of the country, started going down in the 1980s. "Ever since," Pierce notes, "California's been dropping dramatically. They had a 30 percent decline in lung cancer. And it's about a 30 percent difference now with the rest of the country."

烟瘾大的人减少，对加州人的身体健康产生了积极影响。加州的肺癌罹患率曾经高居全国之首，但从1980年代起开始下降，下降幅度高达百分之30。