Smoking Tobacco Isn't Bad.

To argue that smoking isn't unhealthy seems quite interesting, but we can go that route. I think it is considered beyond consensus among the scientific community that smoking tobacco is categorically bad for health.Here are some statistics from the CDC:- Cigarette smoking causes more than 480,000 deaths each year in the United States. This is nearly one in five deaths- Smoking causes more deaths each year than the following causes combined:4 Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) Illegal drug use Alcohol use Motor vehicle injuries Firearm-related incidents - More than 10 times as many U.S. citizens have died prematurely from cigarette smoking than have died in all the wars fought by the United States.- Smoking causes about 90% (or 9 out of 10) of all lung cancer deaths. More women die from lung cancer each year than from breast cancer.- Smoking causes about 80% (or 8 out of 10) of all deaths from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).- Cigarette smoking increases risk for death from all causes in men and women.- The risk of dying from cigarette smoking has increased over the last 50 years in the U.S. Smokers are more likely than nonsmokers to develop heart disease, stroke, and lung cancer. Estimates show smoking increases the risk: For coronary heart disease by 2 to 4 times For stroke by 2 to 4 times Of men developing lung cancer by 25 times Of women developing lung cancer by 25.7 times Smoking causes diminished overall health, increased absenteeism from work, and increased health care utilization and cost. Smokers are at greater risk for diseases that affect the heart and blood vessels (cardiovascular disease). Smoking causes stroke and coronary heart disease, which are among the leading causes of death in the United States. Even people who smoke fewer than five cigarettes a day can have early signs of cardiovascular disease.1 Smoking damages blood vessels and can make them thicken and grow narrower. This makes your heart beat faster and your blood pressure go up. Clots can also form A stroke occurs when: A clot blocks the blood flow to part of your brain; A blood vessel in or around your brain bursts Blockages caused by smoking can also reduce blood flow to your legs and skin References U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.The Health Consequences of Smoking—50 Years of Progress: A Report of the Surgeon General. Atlanta: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Office on Smoking and Health, 2014 [accessed 2017 Apr 20]. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. How Tobacco Smoke Causes Disease: What It Means to You. Atlanta: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Office on Smoking and Health, 2010 [accessed 2017 Apr 20]. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. QuickStats: Number of Deaths from 10 Leading Causes—National Vital Statistics System, United States, 2010. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report 2013:62(08);155. [accessed 2017 Apr 20]. Mokdad AH, Marks JS, Stroup DF, Gerberding JL. Actual Causes of Death in the United States. JAMA: Journal of the American Medical Association 2004;291(10):1238–45 [cited 2017 Apr 20]. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Women and Smoking: A Report of the Surgeon General. Rockville (MD): U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Public Health Service, Office of the Surgeon General, 2001 [accessed 2017 Apr 20]. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Reducing the Health Consequences of Smoking: 25 Years of Progress. A Report of the Surgeon General. Rockville (MD): U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Public Health Service, Centers for Disease Control, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Office on Smoking and Health, 1989 [accessed 2017 Apr 20].