Fewer Americans smoked during first year of pandemic, study shows

Experts suggest all-time low smoking rates may be thanks to less socializing and more time with kids

In the first year of the Covid-19 pandemic, more Americans drank heavily and used illicit drugs - but apparently fewer smoked.

US cigarette smoking dropped to a new all-time low in 2020, with one in eight adults saying they were current smokers, according to survey data released on Thursday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Adult e-cigarette use also dropped, the CDC reported.