Tobacco use and smoking are very dangerous addictions which commonly cause a
wide variety of diseases, cancer and death. The vast majority of tobacco
users and smokers are
hooked when they are children. During this time period they are easily
influenced by peer pressure and advertising. Once hooked, the majority
of tobacco users become hopelessly addicted.
More than 5 million children living today will die prematurely because of a decision they
will make as adolescents---the decision to use tobacco and smoke cigarettes.
Full
text review article on tobacco policies, control, cessation programs
and clean air initiatives. Published in the New England Journal
of Medicine January 11, 2004. To view full text of the
article click below:
Tobacco Control In the Wake of the 1998 Master Settlement Agreement
Studies indicate that nonsmokers are also adversely affected by environmental
tobacco smoke. There are 4000 chemicals in tobacco with
100 identified poisons and 63 known drugs which cause cancer. The most
talked about drug in tobacco is nicotine. Nicotine is vasoconstrictor and
a nerve toxin, it has been classified as a class I insecticide. Other
poisons include: Arsenic, Cyanide, Formaldehyde (used to embalm bodies),
Ammonia Bromide (a toilet cleaner )- Ref. 1.
Each year, because of exposure to environmental tobacco smoke, an estimated
3,000 nonsmoking Americans die of lung cancer, and 300,000 children suffer from
lower respiratory tract infections.
Particularly alarming is the fact that more than 3 million young
people under age 18
smoke half a billion cigarettes each year and that more than one-half
of them consider themselves dependent upon cigarettes. The decision to use
tobacco is nearly always made in the teen years, and about one-half of young
people usually continue to use tobacco products as adults.
Prevalence
of Cigarette Smoking Among
Adults and Youths—United States, 1997
Kentucky: Adults: 30.8% Youth 47.0%
Kentucky has the
highest rate of smoking in the United States.
Larynx Cancer
Lung Cancer
Sources: (1) CDC, Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (data
on persons aged 18 years or older who reported having smoked 100 or more
cigarettes and who reported currently smoking every day or some day), Youth Risk
Behavior Surveillance System (data on young people in grades 9–12 who reported
smoking cigarettes on one or more of the 30 days preceding the survey). (2)
USMC National Health Naval Research Center - San Diego, CA.
The
Book
The Cigarette Papers:
This book reviews the contents and public policy implications
of over 4000 tobacco industry secret documents.
Buy the book The
Cigarette Papers
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