Smoking attracts over 3,000 young people each day and 1.7 million youths have smoked cigarettes by their 18th birthday. Quitting is difficult because nicotine is a physically addictive drug.
Scientific evidence exists linking death and disease to tobacco use.
Health risks include cardiovascular disease, chronic coughs, reduced lung function, emphysema and cancer. Short-term health risks include smelly clothes, bad breath, clothing burns and loss of income spent on cigarettes. Tobacco smoke contains about 4,000 chemicals, including 200 known poisons. Tobacco smoke is harmful to everybody's health. Take this quiz from the American Lung Association to gain more insight into your smoking habits.