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Maryland is a state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia and the District of Columbia to the south and west, Pennsylvania to the north, and Delaware to the east. As many other states, Maryland also banned smoking, in order to decrease the smokers rate.

Recently, scientists found that smoking rates for the state's adults and teens declined significantly over a two-year period. Maryland shows 4th-lowest rate of adult smokers. Statistics found that through Maryland, 15.6 percent of students reported using tobacco products within the same period in 2006, down from just over 21 percent in 2000.

In general, Maryland is among a lot of states whose attempts to curb smoking have evidently got back, even though the smokers’ rate has stayed constant over the past five years.

The smoking started to decline in Maryland after state created the Cigarette Restitution Fund, a repository for money from part of the $206 billion lawsuit settlement that 46 states and U.S. territories received from the tobacco industry, 10 year in the past. The state executed several programs in order to aid smokers kick the bad habit and keep minors from starting it.

Dr. Matthew McKenna, director of the CDC's Office on Smoking and Health, said that Maryland and other states depended on such infusions of money during the 1990s for to initiate prevention and anti-smoking cessation programs, and today they can see the results of such programs.

He explained: "Maryland used to have a strong tobacco industry, but it's gone away quite a bit. They've made a major investment in tobacco-control efforts." Maryland's smoking inhabitants, which stood at nearly 20 percent in 2004, have decreased in each of the past five years, the Center for Disease Control (CDC) said.

But some states, especially tobacco-growing states have done little actions to curb smoking. Among such states, the percentage of adult smokers ranges from Utah, about 9 percent, to West Virginia, nearly 27 percent.

Smoking among Baltimore youths has decreased also, said Richard Matens, a city Health Department official.

Smoking has fallen in these states only thanks to anti-smoking programs. For example among the programs launched in Baltimore is SmokeFree Baltimore Tour Bus, a vehicle with an interior decorated with displays, demonstrations and other items that encourage people to quit smoking. The bus traveled to schools and community events throughout the city.