Cigarette smoking , the chief avoidable cause of premature death in this country, is responsible for more than 300,000 premature deaths each year.
Smoking is an avoidable cause of death.
In 1988 the Surgeon General issued a report entitled Nicotine Addiction . The Surgeon General listed criteria for establishing a drug as addictive and showed how nicotine adheres to these criteria. Smoking causes lung cancer, other cancers, chronic obstructive lung disease, heart disease, complications of pregnancy, and several other adverse health effects. Smoking has been associated with antiestrogenic effects such as earlier menopause and increased osteoporosis. Nicotine is known to enter the amniotic fluid, umbilical cord of the fetus, and the breast milk of expectant mothers.