According to a report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), lung and bronchial cancer rates declined by 14 percent in California between 1988 and 1997, compared with only a 2.7 percent decline in other parts of the country.

"This is a strong message that says investing in tobacco prevention works," said Dr. David Fleming, the CDC's deputy director for science and public health.

The drop in lung cancer rates occurred after California voters approved a 1988 initiative that added a 25-cent tax on cigarettes. Monies raised from the increased tax supported smoking prevention education, health care for the poor, and research into smoking-related illnesses.

The CDC report noted that the proportion of California adults who smoke dropped from 22.8 percent in 1988 to 18 percent in 1999. Furthermore, per-capita cigarette consumption declined by more than 50 percent during the same period.

The report showed that the decline in lung and bronchial cancer among California men was 1.5 times greater than that among men living elsewhere in the country. Among women, the cancer rate dropped 4.8 percent in California, while increasing 13.2 percent elsewhere.

"There's really no question that the drop in lung-cancer rates in California, relative to the rest of the country, is due to the public attention that's been paid to tobacco reduction in California," Fleming said.

According to the CDC, cigarette smoking causes 87 percent of lung cancers, the most common cause of cancer deaths in the United States.

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