A substantial share of young people are daily or occasional smokers. As have previous surveys conducted in Canada and other western countries,5,6 the 1994/95 NPHS showed that in their late teens and early twenties, females have higher rates of daily or occasional smoking than males (Chart 1). At ages 15 to 19, the smoking rate among females was 30%, compared with 28% for males. Rates were higher at ages 20 to 24: 40% for females versus 33% for males.