A government report says the smoking rate for US adults dipped below 18% for the first time last year. That translates to about 42 million smokers. he Centers for Disease Control says smoking was more common in certain groups, like the poor, less educated, and gays and bisexuals. The nation's smoking rate had stalled at around 20 to 21%, until it started dropping a bit a few years ago. Last year, 17.8% of adults described themselves as smokers. [Read more]