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Number Of Smokers Drops By Half Over 30 Years

By Steve Murphy, NewsRadio 830 WCCO

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- A 30-year study finds a big drop in the number of people who smoke in the Twin Cities.

Researchers at the University of Minnesota interviewed some 6,000 people regarding their heart health and found that the percentage of smokers has fallen from around 30 percent in 1980 to half that number today.

Incentives include much higher prices for cigarettes and far fewer places to smoke them. But there's a new concern.

"I think our major concern now is in young people smoking. That may actually increase the numbers going forward," said Dr. Jay Cohn, a University of Minnesota heart researcher.

Cohn spoke with WCCO Radio News from an American Heart Association meeting in Chicago.

NewsRadio 830 WCCO's Steve Murphy Reports

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