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Smoking is deadly, no doubt about it. And what's the key to getting people to stop smoking? Getting them not to start in the first place. More than 80 percent of adult smokers began smoking before 18 years of age, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Visit just about any high school in any state, and you can see teens puffing away. But teen smoking is more common in some states than in others.
Keep clicking to see which states with the highest rates of teen smoking. The survey data used to create the rankings, collected in 2009, aren't perfect, as not every state participated. But the findings are eye-opening just the same.
23. Colorado
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In Colorado, 17.7 percent of high school students smoke cigarettes.
22. Connecticut
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In Connecticut, 17.8 percent of high school students smoke cigarettes.
21. Maine (tie)
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In Maine, 18.1 percent of high school students smoke cigarettes.
21. Illinois (tie)
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In Illinois, 18.1 percent of high school students smoke cigarettes.
20. Pennsylvania
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In Pennsylvania, 18.4 percent of high school students smoke cigarettes.
19. Montana
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In Montana, 18.7 percent of high school students smoke cigarettes.
18. Michigan
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In Michigan, 18.8 percent of high school students smoke cigarettes.
17. Missouri
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In Missouri, 18.9 percent of high school students smoke cigarettes.
16. Delaware
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In Delaware, 19.0 percent of high school students smoke cigarettes.
15. Mississippi
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In Mississippi, 19.6 percent of high school students smoke cigarettes.
14. Arizona
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In Arizona, 19.7 percent of high school students smoke cigarettes.
13. Arkansas
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In Arkansas, 20.3 percent of high school students smoke cigarettes.
12. South Carolina
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In South Carolina, 20.5 percent of high school students smoke cigarettes.
11. New Hampshire (tie)
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In New Hampshire, 20.8 percent of high school students smoke cigarettes.
11. Alabama (tie)
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In Alabama, 20.8 percent of high school students smoke cigarettes.
10. Tennessee
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In Tennessee, 20.9 percent of high school students smoke cigarettes.
9. Texas
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In Texas, 21.2 percent of high school students smoke cigarettes.
8. West Virginia
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In West Virginia, 21.8 percent of high school students smoke cigarettes.
7. Wyoming
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In Wyoming, 22.1 percent of high school students smoke cigarettes.
6. North Dakota
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In North Dakota, 22.4 percent of high school students smoke cigarettes.
5. Oklahoma
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In Oklahoma, 22.6 percent of high school students smoke cigarettes.
4. South Dakota
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In South Dakota, 23.2 percent of high school students smoke cigarettes.
3. Indiana
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In Indiana, 23.5 percent of high school students smoke cigarettes.
2. New Mexico
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In New Mexico, 24.0 percent of high school students smoke cigarettes.
1. Kentucky
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In Kentucky, 26.1 percent of high school students smoke cigarettes.
