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Youth Smoking

According to the 2011 Ontario Student Drug Use and Health Survey (OSDUHS), 9% (7.5%, 10.2%) of Ontario students between the grades of seven and twelve report smoking cigarettes in the past year and 4% (3.1%, 4.8%) said that they smoke daily. Smoking among Ontario students has been steadily declining for the past decade and is at the lowest level ever recorded by this survey. 

Smoking rates increase with grade. According to the 2005-2006 School Health Action, Planning and Evaluation System (SHAPES) survey conducted with more than 20,000 Simcoe Muskoka students in Grades 9-12, 10% (9.2%, 10.8%) of Grade 9 students reported to be current smokers, of which 4% (3.4%, 4.4%) smoked daily and 6% (5.5%, 6.8%) smoked occasionally. The number of current smokers jumps significantly to 27% (25.8%, 28.5%) in Grade 12, of which 16% (14.5%, 16.7%) smoke daily and 12% (10.6%, 12.5%) smoke occasionally.