August 23 ~ Power of Cigarettes

“Today and every day this year, 3,000 young people will begin to smoke; 1,000 of them ultimately will die of cancer, emphysema, heart disease and other diseases caused by smoking. That’s more than a million vulnerable young people a year being hooked on nicotine that ultimately could kill them.”
— President Bill Clinton, 1996 War on Tobacco Speech

Great American Smokeout, Commit to Quit Nicotine is a powerful drug, as addictive as cocaine or heroin. Cigarette smoke contains more than 4,000 chemicals, including cyanide, benzene, formaldehyde, methanol, acetylene, and ammonia.

So dangerous for the smoker… and for those around them, especially the delicate lungs of young children. Children of parents who smoke suffer more colds, asthma, flu, and ear infections.

Half of all smokers die prematurely from their addiction—losing an average of 14 years of life. In 2000, smoking caused about 4.8 million deaths worldwide. In the U.S. alone, more than 400,000 Americans die annually from smoking-related illness.

Studies say each cigarette costs a smoker seven minutes of life. And over 80% of smokers start before the age of 18.

But there is hope: 70% of teenagers today do not smoke.

Education is power. Celebrate clean air and lungs. Take time to learn about the dangers of tobacco and share that knowledge with those you love.

What kills 465,000 of its best customers a year?
A tobacco company.