According to a study published by the British medical journal Lancet, the rate of tobacco-related mortality throughout the entire developed world also averages about 20 percent of all deaths. About 23 percent of adults smoke, and about 30 percent of adolescents. It is widely acknowledged that people who haven't used tobacco by age 21 are likely to remain non-smokers. So it would seem reasonable for much tobacco advertising to target potential adolescent users, although tobacco companies deny this. What is undeniable, however, are statistics showing that the average age of first tobacco use in the United States is 13.
Tobacco is a plant that comes in two varieties, nicotiana tabacum and nicotiana rustica.
The raw leaves are dried and shredded and then rolled into cigarettes or cigars, or packaged as pipe or chewing tobacco or as snuff. Tobacco is the only organic source of nicotine, which is its addicting agent. Among the harmful gases in tobacco smoke are nitrogen oxide, carbon monoxide, and cyanide. The first European settlers in North America were introduced to tobacco smoking by Native Americans. By the early 16th century, the settlers were exporting tobacco to Europe, where it was believed to have curative powers.