Many people started using tobacco in their early teens. Often this was a time when there were strong pressures to fit in with your friends - a time racked with confusion about yourself and your identity. The tobacco industry has known for years that tobacco contains nicotine, a highly addictive drug that guarantees profit. What they do with that profit is spend millions of dollars in advertising to develop a positive image and brand loyalty - and the gay community has not been exempt. More women are starting smoking and fewer are quitting.
Smoking doubles the risk of cervical cancer and more women die of lung cancer than breast cancer.
For men, smoking is one of the risk factors for becoming infected with HIV, speeds the progression to AIDS and death. For folks concerned about vanity, smoking reduces elasticity of the skin and causes wrinkles. Overall, smoking kills more people a day than alcohol, drugs, accidents, fire, homicide, suicide, and AIDS combined .