A lifetime of smoking often leads to life-threatening diseases including lung cancer, emphysema and heart disease, as well as an average waste of 13 years of life to each smoking death. Nearly one-third of the teens that start smoking are doomed to a premature death as a result of their new habit. Tobacco addiction is the number one cause of preventable death in the United States, as well as right here in Ohio. Once the smoking habit begins it is very hard to stop.
Many experts say that nicotine is more addictive than heroine or cocaine.
While adult smoking rates are declining somewhat in America, teenage smoking rates have gone up dramatically in the last decade. Further, many surveys have demonstrated that underage teens can illegally purchase cigarettes from a quarter to a third of retail outlets. This means that almost any teen can obtain tobacco products with little difficulty . Beyond the direct effects of smoking, many studies have shown that cigarettes are the major gateway to use of illegal drugs and alcohol. In fact, a teenager who starts smoking is eight times more likely to use marijuana and 22 times more likely to smoke crack cocaine.