The study, published in the American Journal of Public Health, analysed information from 105,519 individuals aged between 18 and 34, between the years of 1998 to 2007.
The researchers looked at whether people had ever smoked, whether they currently were smoking, and, if they did smoke, whether they smoked more than 10 cigarettes per day. They also looked at the smoking restrictions in place when the study subjects were 17 years old.
The researchers discovered that areas with more restrictive limits on teens purchasing tobacco also have lower adult smoking rates, especially among women. And compared with areas with less restrictive limits, they also tend to have fewer adult heavy smokers.
