Hawai'i has one of the lowest rates of adult smoking in the nation, with fewer than 1 in 5 adults using cigarettes, but further declines have stopped and officials hope the numbers drop further as new smoking restrictions take effect in a little more than a week.

While smoking nationwide has declined by nearly half since 1965, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are reporting that health officials fear they will be unable to meet the "Healthy People 2010" goal of cutting adult cigarette smokers to 12 percent of the population. The number of people who identified themselves as smokers across the country in 2005 was 20.9 percent.

In the Islands, starting next Thursday, a new statewide law — designed to protect non-smokers from second-hand smoke — will make it much tougher for smokers to find a place to light up. Bars and restaurants will be off-limits, as well as enclosed and semi-enclosed areas in workplaces. Some businesses have responded by banning smoking entirely; others by establishing outdoor smoking locations. Hotels may allow smoking in up to 20 percent of their rooms, and they must all be on the same floor.

Hawai'i's restrictions, some of the strictest in the nation, come as health officials note a halt in the years-long decline in smoking statistics.

The CDC reviewed data from the 2005 National Health Interview Study and concluded that there is "lagging progress" toward reaching the 2010 goal.

"The findings in this report indicate that the prevalence of cigarette smoking among U.S. adults did not change from 2004 to 2005," said the CDC's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.

Other studies showed that the rate of smoking among adolescents has not dropped since 2002.

The report suggested that reasons for the lack of quitters may include price discounting by tobacco companies and reduced funding for state tobacco control programs.

Legal bans on smoking are one of the most effective ways to minimize second-hand smoke, CDC said.

"The only interventions that effectively protect nonsmokers from second-hand smoke exposure are legislation, policies and rules that make workplaces and homes completely smoke-free," it said.

Hawai'i's 17.2 percent cigarette use in 2005 was fourth-lowest in the nation, after Utah (11.5 percent), California (15.2) and Connecticut (16.5).

Reach Jan TenBruggencate at jant@honoluluadvertiser.com.