A Report of the Surgeon General

Preventing Tobacco Use 

Among Youth and Young Adults

MAKE THE NEXT GENERATION TOBACCO-FREE
Note From the 

U.S. Surgeon General

About This Booklet

Nearly all tobacco use begins during youth and young adulthood. Tobacco contains 

nicotine, a highly addictive drug that causes many young people to progress from 

smoking occasionally to smoking every day. 

Each day across the United States, more than 3,800 youth under age 18 smoke their 

first cigarette. Although much progress has been made to reduce the prevalence of 

smoking since the first Surgeon General’s report in 1964, today nearly one in four high 

school seniors and one in three young adults under age 26 smoke. 

Most young people don’t consider the long-term health consequences associated 

with tobacco use when they start smoking. Because most high school smokers are 

not able to break free from the powerful, addicting effects of nicotine, about three out 

of four will smoke in adulthood. Among those who persist in smoking, one third will die 

about 13 years earlier than their nonsmoking peers. 

This Surgeon General’s report details the causes and the consequences of tobacco use 

among youth and young adults by focusing on the social, environmental, advertising, 

and marketing influences that encourage youth and young adults to initiate and sustain 

tobacco use. This is the first time tobacco data on young adults as a discrete population 

have been explored in detail. The report also highlights successful strategies to prevent 

young people from using tobacco.

This booklet summarizes the 2012 report and offers suggestions on how we can work 

together to protect youth and young adults from the harmful effects of tobacco. We 

need your help on this public health issue. Everything from making your home and car 

tobacco-free zones to demanding smoke-free policies in your community can make a 

difference. WE CAN make our next generation tobacco-free!

The Surgeon General is America’s doctor. The President appoints the Surgeon General as the highest-ranking health 

leader to protect the health of all Americans. The Surgeon General uses the strongest, most complete scientific 

information available to promote health, to reduce risk for illness and injury, and to make the nation healthier. Some 

of the Surgeon General’s most important tools are comprehensive scientific reports on specific health issues, such 

as this report on tobacco use among youth and young adults. To read the full report and its related materials, go to 

www.surgeongeneral.gov.

Regina M. Benjamin, M.D., M.B.A.

Surgeon General
What’s Inside 

This Booklet

This booklet contains highlights from the 2012 Surgeon General’s report on tobacco 

use among youth and teens ages 12 through 17 and young adults ages 18 through 25. 

The first four pages are an overview of youth and young adult tobacco use, and the 

sections that follow provide details on health effects, factors that encourage young 

people to use tobacco, the role of the tobacco industry, and what we can do to solve 

the problem. For more information and additional resources, go to www.cdc.gov/tobacco.

If you smoke and want to quit smoking, call 1-800-QUIT NOW (784-8669).

Tobacco Use: A Preventable Epidemic ............................................................................2

The problem .......................................................................................................................2

The causes .........................................................................................................................3

The solutions ......................................................................................................................5

Smoking and Health: They Just Don’t Mix.......................................................................6 

Early smoking can cause early heart disease ....................................................................6

Early smoking can harm lungs now....................................................................................6

Smoking can lead to cancer...............................................................................................7

Why Young People Use Tobacco................................................................................................. 8

Social influences.................................................................................................................8

Physical influences .............................................................................................................8

Environmental influences ...................................................................................................9

Movies ................................................................................................................................9

The Tobacco Industry......................................................................................................10 

Keeping prices down........................................................................................................10

Making products easy to buy...........................................................................................10

Designing products that appeal to youth.........................................................................11

Creating a package that appeals to youth .......................................................................11 

Retail marketing................................................................................................................12

Using media to promote products ...................................................................................12

What We Can Do .............................................................................................................13 

Policies and programs—which work best?......................................................................13

Mass media campaigns ...................................................................................................14

Parents—how you can help .............................................................................................15

Conclusion.......................................................................................................................16
A REPORT OF THE SURGEON GENERAL | 2

Tobacco use by teens and young adults remains shockingly high in the United States. 

Today, more than 3.6 million middle and high school students smoke cigarettes. In 

fact, for every person who dies due to smoking—more than 1,200 each day—at least 

two youth or young adults become regular smokers. Nearly 90% of these replacement 

smokers try their first cigarette by age 18. Clearly, we have not solved the problem. 

Tobacco Use: A Preventable Epidemic

THE PROBLEM

Today’s teens and young adults can access 

information on millions of subjects almost 

instantly. But many of the same media that 

warn of the dangers of tobacco use also carry 

messages that smoking is cool—edgy—adult. 

That’s one reason nearly 4,000 kids under age 

18 try their first cigarette every day. That’s 

almost 1.5 million youth a year. 

In fact, nearly 9 out of 10 smokers start 

smoking by age 18, and 99% start by age 26. 

On any given day, more than 2.500 youth 

and young adults who have been occasional 

smokers will become regular smokers. And at 

least a third of these replacement smokers will 

die early from smoking.

The percentage of youth who smoke went 

down every year between 1997 and 2003. 
3 | PREVENTING TOBACCO USE AMONG YOUTH AND YOUNG ADULTS

But since then, the decrease in teen smoking 

has slowed and the use of some forms of 

tobacco by youth has leveled out. Today, one 

out of four high school seniors and one out of 

three young adults under age 26 are smokers. 

THE CAUSES

Young people start using tobacco for many 

reasons. These are some of the most important:

The Tobacco Industry

Fewer adults are smoking today, both because 

many have quit and because about half of 

long-term smokers die from diseases caused 

by their tobacco use. So, cigarette companies 

look to young people as replacement smokers. 

They use a variety of marketing strategies to 

encourage new consumers to try their products,

and to continue using them.

Susceptibility of Youth and 

Young Adults

Adolescence and young adulthood are the 

times when people are most susceptible to 

starting tobacco use. Young people are more 

vulnerable and more influenced by marketing 

than adults. They are also more willing to 

take risks, even with their health. When 

smoking is portrayed as a social norm among 

others who are seen as cool, sophisticated, 

rebellious, or fun-loving, teens often respond 

by copying the behavior and trying cigarettes 

themselves. If their friends smoke, or their 

siblings smoke, they are even more likely to 

smoke themselves. 

Smoking causes disease and death

People who smoke don’t have to wait 

for tobacco use to damage their health. 

There are more than 7,000 chemicals and 

chemical compounds in cigarette smoke, 

many of which are toxic. These chemicals 

can cause immediate damage to the 

human body. Even young adults under 

age 30 who started smoking in their teens 

and early twenties can develop smokingrelated health problems, such as:

 Early cardiovascular disease.

Smaller lungs that don’t function normally.

Wheezing that can lead to a diagnosis 

of asthma.

DNA damage that can cause cancer 

almost anywhere in the body.

On average, lifelong smokers get sicker 

and die younger than nonsmokers. These 

smokers die an average of 13 years sooner.

WE CAN help teens and young adults 

say no to tobacco.
A REPORT OF THE SURGEON GENERAL | 4

And young people are sensitive to nicotine. 

The younger they are when they start using 

tobacco, the more likely they are to become 

addicted to nicotine and the more heavily 

addicted they will become. 

Young people sometimes believe nothing can 

hurt them. Facts about health problems that 

could happen in middle age—or even right 

away—may mean little to them now. Many 

teens and young adults don’t realize how 

addictive nicotine is. Some may have a tough 

time making healthy choices or sorting out 

tobacco myths from facts. Others may want 

to fit in with a group or seem older, edgier, 

or more socially grounded. And images that 

encourage tobacco use are everywhere—

from the Internet to the movies to big, bright 

advertisements at convenience stores. All of 

these factors make youth a prime market for 

tobacco products. 

Social Norms

Many norms in our society influence young 

people to try tobacco products. People smoke 

in public in half of U.S. states because there 

are no comprehensive smoke-free laws that 

prohibit smoking at work sites, restaurants, 

and bars. Even states that prohibit smoking 

inside public buildings often have outdoor 

smoking areas, some near schools and day 

care centers. Tobacco use is prominent in mass 

media, including in movies, social media, 

video games, and glossy magazines. And 

tobacco advertising both inside and outside 

retail stores is often the largest, most visible 

advertising for any product. 
5 | PREVENTING TOBACCO USE AMONG YOUTH AND YOUNG ADULTS

If young people don’t start using tobacco by age 26, 

they almost certainly will never start.

THE SOLUTIONS

Prevention is critical. If young people don’t 

start using tobacco by age 26, they almost 

certainly will never start. The good news is that 

there are many things we can do to help keep 

teens and young adults tobacco-free. We can: 

 Create a world where seeing people 

smoke or use other tobacco products is 

the exception, not the norm.

Take steps that make it harder for youth 

to use tobacco, such as raising cigarette 

prices and enforcing laws that prohibit 

the sale of tobacco to children. 

Further limit tobacco marketing that is 

likely to be seen by young people.

Limit youth exposure to smoking in 

movies and other media.

 Educate young people and help them make 

healthy choices.

Set an example—encourage young people 

to avoid tobacco use by quitting ourselves.

For many decades, local and state health 

departments, schools, and federal programs 

have taken steps to protect youth from tobacco 

use. But in recent years, many of these efforts 

have been scaled back. We know what works 

to keep young people tobacco-free, but we 

don’t always do what is necessary. We have 

already made some progress in reducing 

tobacco use by youth. Let’s finish what we 

started and make the next generation tobaccofree. To learn more about steps to take, read 

“What We Can Do” on page 13. 
A REPORT OF THE SURGEON GENERAL | 6

Smoking and Health: They Just Don’t Mix 

It’s well known that smoking is bad for your health and causes many serious diseases 

later in life. In fact, one out of three adolescents who continue to smoke regularly will die 

prematurely from cigarette smoking. But did you know that smoking can also harm young 

smokers’ health right away?

EARLY SMOKING CAN CAUSE EARLY 

HEART DISEASE

New research shows that smoking during 

adolescence and young adulthood causes 

early damage to the abdominal aorta, the large 

artery that carries oxygen-rich blood from the 

heart through the abdomen to major organs. 

Even young adults who have only been 

smoking for a few years can show signs of 

narrowing of this large artery. When a person 

breathes tobacco smoke, it causes immediate 

damage to blood vessels throughout the body. 

Repeatedly breathing tobacco smoke can 

cause a mixture of scar tissue and fats to build 

up inside blood vessels. This plaque makes 

blood vessels narrow and limits blood flow. 

EARLY SMOKING CAN HARM LUNGS NOW

Young people are still growing. Their lungs 

don’t reach full size until late teens for girls 

and after age 20 for boys. Adults who smoked 

during adolescence can have lungs that never 

grow to their potential size and never perform 

at full capacity. 
7 | PREVENTING TOBACCO USE AMONG YOUTH AND YOUNG ADULTS

Why is early smoking so harmful?

People who start smoking as young teens are 

more likely to:

 Get addicted to nicotine.

Become lifetime smokers. 

Get diseases caused by tobacco use.

Die from a disease caused by tobacco use.

The lungs of young smokers don’t perform 

as well as those of nonsmokers. Because 

their lungs don’t work as well, they are 

short of breath and may have more trouble 

participating in sports and other physical 

activities. Even though people who 

stop smoking will improve their health 

dramatically, early lung damage doesn’t 

go away completely in most cases. 

SMOKING CAN LEAD TO CANCER

Tobacco smoke contains about 70 chemicals 

that can cause cancer. It’s no surprise, then, 

that smoking causes about one in three of all 

cancer deaths in the United States. And it can 

cause cancer almost anywhere in the body by 

damaging DNA. 

Youth—a Great Time to Quit

The good news: Smokers who quit before 

age 30 will undo much of the health damage 

caused by tobacco use. 

Why Is It So Hard to Quit?

Tobacco users often get hooked on 

nicotine—the drug in cigarettes, cigars, 

and smokeless tobacco (snuff and chewing 

tobacco). Many teens and young adults plan 

to quit using tobacco after a few years but 

find out too late how powerfully addictive 

nicotine can be. Like heroin and cocaine, 

nicotine acts on the brain and creates feelings 

of pleasure or satisfaction. Young brains are 

still developing. That may be one reason 

many teens feel dependent on tobacco after 

using it for only a short time. 

Quitting isn’t easy, but it can be done.

Better yet—don’t start! 

Not starting is even better than quitting. Learn 

what risk factors to look for and how to help 

yourself, your friends, or the young people in 

your life stay tobacco-free (see page 13). Their 

health depends on it! 

Photo courtesy of New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene

WE CAN help young people say no 

to tobacco use.
A REPORT OF THE SURGEON GENERAL | 8

Why Young People Use Tobacco 

There are many reasons young people begin using tobacco. Teenagers, and even 

preteens, are developing behaviors, social connections, and attitudes. They often 

experiment with different behaviors because they see these behaviors in peers they 

admire, in adults they hope to be like someday, or in media or entertainment idols. 

SOCIAL INFLUENCES

Adolescents and young adults are very 

susceptible to social influences. If they see 

tobacco use as a normal behavior because 

their friends or family members use tobacco, 

young people are more likely to try tobacco 

themselves. 

Teens and young adults highly value their 

friendships and want to fit in with their group. 

What their peers do—and especially what the 

leaders of their social groups do—can have 

a strong influence on what they do. Young 

people whose friends smoke are much more 

likely to smoke as well. 

PHYSICAL INFLUENCES 

Nicotine is just as addictive as heroin 

and cocaine. Because they are sensitive 

to nicotine, teens can feel dependent on 

tobacco sooner than adults. There is also 

evidence that genetics might make it more 

difficult for some young people to quit 

smoking once they have started. 
9 | PREVENTING TOBACCO USE AMONG YOUTH AND YOUNG ADULTS

ENVIRONMENTAL INFLUENCES

Teens and young adults are sensitive to what 

they see and hear in the world around them. 

If they are exposed to images that portray 

smokers as cool, attractive, rebellious, funloving, risk-taking, or other characteristics 

they admire, young people may want to 

smoke, too. Such images are often found 

in advertising displays at convenience 

stores and other outlets that sell tobacco. 

Communities that allow the sale of cigarettes 

and other tobacco products near schools have 

higher rates of youth tobacco use than do 

communities that have tobacco-free zones 

around schools. If teens and young adults 

see tobacco use in their homes or in public 

places within their communities, these images 

encourage them to see smoking as a normal 

part of adult behavior. 



MOVIES 

For many years, tobacco companies paid studios 

to have their products appear in movies. Even 

though this practice is no longer allowed, movies 

for youth, and even some movies for children, 

may include images of characters using tobacco. 

These images are powerful because they can 

make smoking seem like a normal, acceptable, or 

even attractive activity. Young people may also 

look up to movie stars, both on and off screen, 

and may want to imitate behaviors they see. 

Over time, the number of images of tobacco 

use in movies has gone down. But movies still 

contain thousands of images of tobacco use that 

are proven to encourage young people to start 

smoking. In 2010, nearly a third of top-grossing 

youth-rated movies—those with G, PG, or PG-13 

ratings—contained images of tobacco use. 

This is how many teens and young adults use tobacco today:

3 million high school students and 600,000 middle school 

students smoke cigarettes.

1 in 3 young adults smokes cigarettes.

1 in 4 high school seniors smokes cigarettes.

1 in 5 male high school seniors smokes cigars and 1 in 10 

uses smokeless tobacco.

Many young people use more than one type of tobacco. Among those who use tobacco, more 

than half of high school males and nearly a third of high school females use more than one 

tobacco product. These products include cigarettes, cigars, and smokeless tobacco, such as 

chew and snus, a dry snuff in a small teabag-like sachet.

WE CAN make tobacco use the 

exception, not the norm.
A REPORT OF THE SURGEON GENERAL | 10

The Tobacco Industry 

Tobacco companies use multiple methods and spend lots of money to convince young 

people that using tobacco is OK—even attractive. Their business depends on getting these 

young consumers to try—and to keep using—their products. Young people are responsive 

to marketing, making them vulnerable to messages that encourage tobacco use. 

KEEPING PRICES DOWN

Tobacco companies lower prices through 

coupons and other promotions so that 

consumers can afford to buy their products. 

Teens are especially sensitive to pricing.

In 2008, cigarette makers spent nearly 

$10 billion to market their products. Much 

of this spending—$6 out of every $7—was 

used to pay for price cuts through coupons, 

sales, and giveaways. Similarly, smokeless 

tobacco makers spent about $3 out of every 

$4 of their $547 million marketing budget to 

keep prices low. 

MAKING PRODUCTS EASY TO BUY

A number of laws limit face-to-face and 

vending machine sales of tobacco products 

to young people. But there is less oversight 

online. While most websites say buyers must 

be at least 18 years old, research found that 

15- and 16-year-olds were able to place orders 

successfully. Nearly 8 out of 10 of those 

young people received their orders, and only 

1 out of 10 shipments required proof of age at 

the time of delivery of the tobacco product. 
11 | PREVENTING TOBACCO USE AMONG YOUTH AND YOUNG ADULTS

DESIGNING PRODUCTS THAT APPEAL 

TO YOUTH

Cigarettes that appeal to new smokers are 

often smoother and milder to improve taste 

and reduce the body’s physical reaction to 

the smoke. While flavored cigarettes are 

now prohibited, the industry still puts fruit 

flavoring and other kid-friendly flavors in 

many of their cigars. This is especially true for 

cigarette-sized cigars, which are now available 

in many flavor varieties—such as grape and 

strawberry—that youth find appealing in other 

products. Many of these little cigars look 

exactly like cigarettes with a darker wrapper.

Many smokeless products are also flavored. 

These include chew and snuff—which come 

in a variety of forms—and new smokeless 

products, such as dissolvable tobacco. All 

of these products can cause serious health 

problems and lead to nicotine addiction and 

future smoking. And tobacco companies are 

still using different techniques to make many 

cigarette brands taste less harsh—especially 

brands that young people often use when they 

start smoking.

Young people sometimes use 

smokeless tobacco products in 

places where cigarettes are 

banned, such as schools. 

Snus (dry snuff in a pouch), 

and dissolvable smokeless 

products in particular, 

provide a discreet way for 

young people to maintain 

Myth: Smoking helps you lose weight

Many young people, especially girls and 

young women, believe that smoking can 

help them lose weight. But studies show 

that’s not true—young people who smoke 

are not thinner than those who don’t. 

Cigarette marketing encourages the myth that 

smoking causes weight loss. And it targets 

women with brand names that suggest 

thinness, as well as with long, thin cigarettes.

their addiction to nicotine even when they 

can’t smoke. In fact, most youth users of these 

smokeless products also smoke cigarettes. 

The biggest danger of these products is that 

they may introduce kids to nicotine, putting 

them at risk for nicotine addiction.

CREATING A PACKAGE THAT APPEALS 

TO YOUTH

Packaging has a powerful visual impact. 

Users come to associate certain brands with 

certain qualities. Words on packages, such 

as “slims” and “thins,” push the myth of 

weight loss. Before they were banned, some 

words (“low tar,” “light,” “mild”) falsely 

suggested safety. Studies show that color 

makes a difference too. Smokers tend to think 

that cigarettes in lighter-colored packs are 

“lighter” and safer than cigarettes in darkercolored packs—even when both packs contain 

the exact same cigarettes. Photo courtesy of Campaign 

for Tobacco-Free Kids

WE CAN limit tobacco marketing to 

young people.
A REPORT OF THE SURGEON GENERAL 12

Why the industry targets young people 

Young people are a prime market for tobacco 

products. With smoking among adults declining, 

tobacco makers need to replace long-term 

users who have quit . . . or died. So the tobacco 

industry recruits replacement smokers from 

youth and young adults—the age groups 

in which 99% of tobacco use begins. 

Young adults are a prime target for tobacco 

advertising and marketing. And messages 

aimed at this age group also attract the 

attention of younger consumers—a plus for 

the tobacco industry.

RETAIL MARKETING

Tobacco companies use many marketing and 

advertising tools at stores that sell tobacco 

products. Even the locations where tobacco 

products are sold can have an impact on 

tobacco use by young people. For example, 

more cigarettes are sold in convenience stores 

than in any other type of store, and 70% of 

adolescents shop in convenience stores at least 

once a week—where they are more likely to 

be exposed to prosmoking messages.

For many years, the tobacco industry has 

offered sellers financial rewards and discounts 

when they sell large volumes of their products. 

Some stores and gas stations place tobacco 

products on or near checkout counters—a 

visible spot that may trigger impulse buying. 

They also run sales on tobacco products and 

place vivid, eye-catching ads in windows and 

outside their buildings. Ads inside the store are 

sometimes at eye level for preteen children, 

which research shows might influence them to 

try tobacco products later. 

USING MEDIA TO PROMOTE PRODUCTS

The tobacco industry uses media to promote 

its products to young people. Here are some 

of the channels it uses.

Digital Media

Many cigarette companies use websites to 

promote their products. Some of these 

websites feature videos, games, coupons, 

and contests that may appeal to youth. 

Meanwhile, some young people are using 

social networking channels (Facebook, 

Twitter, discussion forums, message boards, 

and YouTube videos) to sing the praises of 

tobacco, especially to their peers. 

Magazines 

Tobacco ads are not allowed on TV 

or on billboards. But they may still 

be found in mainstream magazines 

targeted to adults, and many 

young people read these. 

These ads often suggest 

that using tobacco can 

make you sexy, popular, 

thin, and cool. 

| 
13 | PREVENTING TOBACCO USE AMONG YOUTH AND YOUNG ADULTS

What We Can Do 

WORKING TOGETHER, WE CAN END THE TOBACCO EPIDEMIC. 

If we choose to, we can end the tobacco epidemic in this country. But it’s going to 

take all of us—parents, teachers, health care providers, communities, states, schools, 

and policymakers—supporting policies, programs, and media campaigns that prevent 

tobacco use by youth and young adults.

POLICIES AND PROGRAMS— 

WHICH WORK BEST?

There are effective policies and programs that 

prevent young people from using tobacco. 

Policies and programs that contain several 

parts working together to make tobacco use 

more difficult and less accepted are the ones 

that work best.

Policies

Policies are very effective because they can 

change the environment so that choosing a 

tobacco-free life is encouraged and supported. 

Government and private entities have 

implemented a number of policies that are 

effective in preventing youth tobacco use. 
A REPORT OF THE SURGEON GENERAL | 14

Who is at risk? 

Some youth are at higher risk for tobacco use. For example, 

young people are more likely to use tobacco if they:

 Have access to smoking areas and tobacco products—

especially to low-cost or free tobacco. 

Have friends, brothers, or sisters who use tobacco. 

Watch movies that have smoking in them.

Are not doing well in school or have friends who are 

not doing well in school.

Are not engaged in school or religious activities.

Use other substances, such as alcohol or marijuana.

Here are some policies proven to work best:

 Make tobacco products less affordable. 

Restrict tobacco marketing. 

Ban smoking in public places—such as 

workplaces, schools, day care centers, 

hospitals, restaurants, hotels, and parks. 

Require tobacco companies to label 

tobacco packages with large, graphic 

health warnings.

Programs

Many states and communities have programs 

to prevent tobacco use by young people. The 

most effective ones combine several elements; 

include evidence-based curricula in secondary 

schools; work with policies; and influence 

people at work, at home, in school, in health 

care settings, and in public places.

MASS MEDIA CAMPAIGNS

Mass media campaigns against tobacco 

use—most often TV ads—have proven 

very effective at helping prevent tobacco 

use by young people. Studies show that 

teens respond most to ads that trigger strong 

negative feelings, such as ads about how 

smoking and secondhand smoke harm health 

and ads that expose the tobacco industry’s 

marketing strategies that target young 

people. Even ads that are designed for adult 

audiences help reduce tobacco use among 

young people. 

Every 3 or 4 years, new groups of children 

and teens reach the age where they are 

vulnerable to influences encouraging them 

to smoke. To be effective, mass media 

campaigns must be repeated so they will 

reach new vulnerable populations. 

WE CAN take steps to prevent youth 

tobacco use.
15 | PREVENTING TOBACCO USE AMONG YOUTH AND YOUNG ADULTS

PARENTS—HOW YOU CAN HELP

You can help your children make healthy 

choices about tobacco use. Try these tips.

Tell them:

 Key facts about tobacco—this booklet is 

a good start. 

You don’t want anyone—including 

them—to use tobacco in your house or car.

You expect they will never use tobacco, or 

will stop using it.

Help them: 

 Cope with their problems. 

Refuse tobacco.

Quit if they’re current users. 

Make sure you:

 Know what they’re doing and who their 

friends are. 

Network with other parents who can 

help you encourage children and teens 

to refuse tobacco.

Encourage your children’s schools to enforce

tobacco-free policies for students, faculty, 

staff, and visitors both on campus and at all 

school-sponsored events off campus.

Enforce movie age restrictions—and 

discourage teens from playing video games 

or using other media that feature smoking.

Never give tobacco to children or teens.

Set a good example by not using 

tobacco yourself.
A REPORT OF THE SURGEON GENERAL | 16

Tobacco use among young Americans has gone down since the 1994 Surgeon General’s 

report, the first comprehensive report on youth and tobacco. But the number of young 

tobacco users in this country remains far too high. 

The 3,800 young people who smoke their first cigarette today are at great risk for 

developing a serious chronic disease from smoking. And half of long-term smokers 

die prematurely from a tobacco-related disease. 

As a society, we can no longer allow our young people’s health to go up in smoke. 

We must work together to prevent teens and young adults from using tobacco, and 

we must continue to help those who start using tobacco to quit. In doing so, we will 

help young people live longer and healthier lives than the generation who came before 

them. And we will end the tobacco epidemic in this country. Let’s finish what we 

started—help make the next generation tobacco-free!

Conclusion

WE CAN make the next generation 

tobacco-free.
17 | PREVENTING TOBACCO USE AMONG YOUTH AND YOUNG ADULTS

For more information and additional resources, go to www.cdc.gov/tobacco. 

If you smoke and want to quit smoking, call 1-800-QUIT NOW (784-8669).
WE CAN MAKE THE NEXT GENERATION TOBACCO-FREE

For more information

For more information about the Surgeon General’s report, 

visit www.surgeongeneral.gov.

To learn more about tobacco control and prevention, visit 

CDC’s Smoking & Tobacco Use website at www.cdc.gov/tobacco.

To download copies of this booklet, go to www.cdc.gov/tobacco.

To order copies of this booklet, go to www.cdc.gov/tobacco and click on 

Publications Catalog or call 1-800-CDC-INFO (1-800-232-4636);

TTY: 1-888-232-6348. 

To access a telephone quitline serving your area, 

call 1-800-QUIT-NOW (1-800-784-8669).