Smoking
Tobacco use in the form of smoking and the effects of second hand smoke kill more people each year in the US than alcohol, cocaine, heroin, homicide, suicide, firearms, and AIDS. Approximately 400,000 Americans die each year as a result of smoking. Among the most common diseases that are related to smoking are lung cancer, cardiovascular disease, stroke, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Upwards of 87% of lung cancer deaths are among individuals who have smoked.

While great progress has occurred in decreasing adult smoking, some 46 million adults still smoke in this country. Very recently, there has been an increase in teenage smoking rates. Thirty-nine percent of teens in 8-12th grades are estimated to smoke with approximately 3,000 starting to smoke everyday. Girls are beginning to smoke in greater numbers than ever before. This is particularly of concern given the increasing lung cancer mortality rates among women. Teens who drop out of school and and those with low self-esteem are more likely to smoke.