In the U.S., about 1.3 million people quit smoking each year, but about 47 million continue to smoke. At least 3.1 million adolescents smoke and 24.6 percent of high school seniors nationally are smokers. This percentage represents a 32 percent increase above that reported in 1957. Almost all-first tobacco use occurs before high school graduation. Tobacco is often the first drug used by young people who go on to use alcohol, marijuana and other drugs.
Cigarettes are the most heavily advertised products in the United States.
Tobacco companies spent approximately five billion dollars, in 1995, on advertising and promotion of their deadly products. Lung cancer has now surpassed breast cancer as the leading cause of cancer deaths among women. Female smokers are more than ten times as likely to die of emphysema or chronic bronchitis than nonsmoking females. Cigarette smoking is also the number one cause of cancer death in men. Male smokers are almost ten times more likely to die of bronchitis and emphysema and 22 times more likely to die from lung cancer than nonsmoking males.