• Adolescent smoking is defined as the percentage of high school youth who smoked cigarettes on one or more of the past 30 days and is tracked through a statewide youth health survey every other year.
• Nearly 9 out of every 10 adult smokers began smoking cigarettes as an adolescent, making the prevention of youth smoking a public health priority. Cigarette use kills 2,600 New Mexicans annually and afflicts 78,000 people with tobacco-related diseases.
• Adolescent smoking has declined significantly over the past decade, peaking at 30.1% in 2003 and down to a historic low of 11.4% in 2015. However, smoking is significantly higher among youth who identify as lesbian/gay/bisexual (25%) and youth who earn mostly D's and F's (31%).
• The New Mexico Department of Health (NMDOH) is currently working with the Public Education Department in implementing the 2017 Youth Risk and Resiliency Survey (YRRS), which includes cigarette use questions. The 2017 YRRS is in the field in high schools statewide in Fall 2017, with new adolescent cigarette smoking data expected in early 2018.
• Current NMDOH efforts for preventing adolescent smoking primarily include youth engagement and leadership training and outreach in schools and communities throughout the state.

• Rescue (The Behavior Change Agency)
• University of New Mexico
• New Mexico Public Education Department
• New Mexico Human Services Department Synar & US Food and Drug Administration Programs
• Albuquerque Area Southwest Epidemiology Center

The Guide to Community Preventive Services recommends the following interventions to reduce adolescent smoking:

• Increasing the unit price of tobacco products.
• Mass media campaigns in combination with other interventions.
• Smoking bans and restrictions, and restricting minors' access to tobacco products, through community mobilization with additional interventions.

• Implement a statewide youth (18 years and younger) engagement strategy, called Evolvement.
• Develop specific tobacco counter-marketing campaigns targeting high school youth to prevent tobacco use initiation.
• Train youth leaders statewide on tobacco control efforts and to develop specific projects within their schools and communities to reach their peers with tobacco counter-marketing messages.