One out every four preteens and teens who "experiment" with cigarettes is addicted by age 20. Smoking and secondhand smoke kill more people than AIDS, fires, suicides, murders, alcohol and drugs combined.

Cigarettes contain nicotine, which is an addictive drug. In addition to nicotine, cigarettes and smoke contain tar, carbon monoxide, arsenic, cyanide and over 2,000 other harmful and deadly chemicals.

• What are the health risks of smoking?
• What about secondhand smoke?
• Addiction

What are the health risks of smoking?

• Cancer of the throat, lungs, mouth or esophagus
  
• Frequent colds
  
• Chronic bronchitis
  
• Stroke
  
• Heart disease
  
• Asthma
  
• Decreased sense of smell and taste

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What about secondhand smoke?

Cigarettes also give off secondhand smoke. Nonsmokers breathe this in when they are around smokers. Secondhand smoke can be as damaging as smoking cigarettes, even though the person is not even smoking. Avoid being around smokers -- they're not only harming themselves, they're hurting you, too.
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Addiction

Cigarettes are highly addictive. This is why people keep smoking even through they knew how bad it was for themselves and those around them. Many smokers want to stop, but feel that they cannot.

Cigarette advertisers target young people because they want you to get addicted early and become a lifelong smoker. Don't buy in to this plan -- fight back.

Plain and simple, smoking kills. More than 400,000 deaths in the United States are linked to smoking each year. Don't be a part of that statistic. Don't start smoking.
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