25 Percent Of Adults Smoke, Survey Finds

Smoking rose slightly in 1994 to 25.5 percent of American adults despite the government’s best efforts, and federal health authorities blame cheap cigarettes and nicotine’s powerful hold.

The government acknowledged Thursday it won’t meet its goal of reducing smoking to 15 percent of adults by the year 2000.

The percentage of adults who smoke has held steady at about 25 percent during the 1990s after dropping from 42.4 percent between 1965 and 1990, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said.

The 1994 figures, the most recent available, are based on a survey of nearly 20,000 adults.