Smoking rate has plummeted in New York City

Smoking rate has plummeted in New York City. "The 2006 rate was nearly 20% lower than the 2002 rate -- a decline that represents 240,000 fewer smokers."

"These large declines followed a year-long ad campaign aimed at prompting more smokers to quit. Beginning in 2002, and after a decade with no progress, New York City increased the tobacco tax, eliminated smoking in virtually all workplaces, and launched hard-hitting anti-tobacco ads. There aren’t many programs that can prevent 80,000 premature deaths this quickly"

I've seen some of the billboards that were up in 1999 while driving to or from visiting my father in the hospital with lung cancer. Those were pretty brutal, but whatever helps.