Bad news for American governments and good news for Americans. Their health will improve and governments’ tax revenues will drop. The national smoking rate among Americans has plummeted to a record low of 16 percent. In the early 1950s, nearly half the country (45 percent) smoked, according to regular Gallup surveys. The decline is especially notable among young adults, where the rate has dropped from 34 percent early this century to just 15 percent the last two years.