Cigarette Smoking Health Risks:

1. Cancer. Lung cancer is the most common type of cancer directly linked to smoking. Men smokers suffer from lung cancer 22 times more frequently than non-smokers. Women smokers suffer lung cancer 12 times more frequently. Smoking has also been linked to a much higher incidence of the following cancers: lip, oral, larynx, throat, esophagus, pancreas, cervical, bladder, and kidney. Certain families and ethnic groups also suffer an even higher risk to smoking related cancer, particularly African-American men and people who have family members who have smoking-related cancers.
2. Heart disease. The leading cause of smoking-related death is coronary heart disease, not cancer. Cigarette smoking more than doubles your chances of suffering from heart disease, and doubles your risk of stroke. You are also 10 times more likely to suffer from vascular disease (degeneration of blood vessels).
3. Emphysema. Cigarette smoking makes you 10 times more likely to suffer from emphysema, a condition in which the lungs become severely blocked, limiting breathing and making any physical movement very difficult.
4. Smoking while pregnant. Pregnant women who smoke not only suffer all of the adverse health risks stated above, but also endanger their unborn children. Infants whose mothers smoke during pregnancy suffer a higher risk of premature birth, low birth weight, stillbirth, and Sudden Infant Death Syndrome.

The tobacco plant grew naturally in North and South America starting about 6,000 B.C. Mayans in Mexico and Central America were among the first to use the plant as a medicinal and spiritual aid, incorporating it into their religious rituals and using it to combat pain and heal wounds. As the Mayan culture declined from about 600 - 800 A.D., emigrants from the crumbling empire spread the use of tobacco to the Aztecs and the Native American tribes of the United States, South America, and the Caribbean.

By the time Christopher Columbus arrived in 1492, tobacco use was a common and revered feature of indigenous culture. The Arawak tribe Columbus encountered when he made his first landfall in the New World offered him some dried tobacco leaves as a gift. Soon sailors and explorers alike were smoking rolled tobacco leaves or combining raw leaves with ash and placing it in their cheeks. They brought these habits back to Europe, where it was widely believed that tobacco was good for your health and could cure a variety of ailments.

By the 1600s, demand for tobacco in Europe had skyrocketed, prompting settlers in southern New England colonies like Virginia to begin cultivating the plant in large amounts. Tobacco was the first cash crop of the New World and was a key resource for the embryonic United States, composing a huge portion of its economy and exports. It played a role in enticing France into helping America in its Revolutionary War and spurred slave imports to help grow more tobacco as demand increased. In 1610, Sir Francis Bacon noted how difficult it was to quit smoking, a poignant indicator of why tobacco demand kept increasing and a dark harbinger of what was to come in future centuries.

In 1826, scientists isolated nicotine, the psychoactive ingredient of tobacco. After studying its properties, they determined nicotine to be a poisonous substance capable of killing a man and said it should therefore only be used as an insecticide. By then, tobacco’s use was so widespread that it was already too late. The first American tobacco company, Phillip Morris, was started in 1847; by the turn of the century, several tobacco companies were selling their products in the United States.

War and the Cigarette

Cigarette smoking as a way of ingesting nicotine did not surge in popularity until the 20th century. Until then, many tobacco users chewed plugs of tobacco or took nasal snuff, a fine ground tobacco inhaled through the nostrils. That changed when America sent many of its young men to fight in World War I. Smoking became very popular with the soldiers on the front, and when they returned from war, they passed the habit on to their civilian friends and relatives. In the 1920s, women took up smoking in earnest, partly because of specific advertising from tobacco companies, but also because smoking became a symbol of the new freedoms wrought by the women’s suffrage movement.

World War II only exacerbated the situation, as millions of American soldiers took up smoking. Lucky Strike cigarettes were included in soldier rations, and many soldiers returned from the service addicted to nicotine, a habit they would sustain long after the end of the war. Back home, millions watched our brave GIs on the front resting and having a cigarette between battles on thousands of newsreels, and the cigarette’s image as the mark of a hero was irrevocably stamped on the American consciousness.

The Anti-Smoking Movement

In 1964, the Surgeon General released a report linking cigarette smoking with many ailments and diseases, based upon 15 years of research. The tobacco companies, by now powerful conglomerates with lobbyists in Washington and armies of lawyers, fought the conclusions of the Surgeon General’s study for years. They did not admit that smoking was addictive or even dangerous until the late 1990s.

Even so, anti-smoking campaigns have persisted for years. At first, smoking was portrayed by socially conservative groups as being immoral, like drinking. But as the health risks of smoking became more and more evident, anti-smoking groups turned to education about the dangers of cigarettes as a deterrent. As smoking has declined in the United States and other developed western nations, tobacco companies have turned their focus to the developing world, where smoking has skyrocketed as incomes increase. As education prevails, the marketing and sale of tobacco will continue to search for new populations ignorant to the risks and costs of tobacco use.

It is estimated that 5 million people die every year from tobacco-related complications and diseases, which is roughly 9 percent of annual global deaths, more than all the annual deaths from AIDS, motor accidents, and murders combined. Tobacco-related illnesses account for a $200 billion annual loss in worker productivity.

The “Growth Market”

Tobacco companies refer to these developing countries as “growth markets” and have indeed been able to offset declining U.S. sales by picking up market shares in other countries where advertising legislation and consumer education are almost non-existent. Youth smoking rates have skyrocketed in Eastern Europe, India, and the Pacific Islands. It is estimated that half of the current smokers today, or 650 million people, will die prematurely as a result of tobacco use.

The most immediate way to fight this global epidemic is through prices. The World Bank estimates that for every 10 percent increase in tobacco prices, usage falls 4 percent in developed countries and 8 percent in developing countries. Though education and youth smoking prevention are also important, tobacco taxation remains the most immediate and potent way to combat global tobacco use.

Smokeless tobacco, also referred to as snuff or chew, is a tobacco product commonly associated with specific sub-cultures in the U.S., most commonly rural Westerners (cowboys), middle and lower class athletes, and blue collar workers. Nicotine is absorbed into the body by placing fine cut tobacco in the space between the gums and cheek, where it enters the body through the capillaries.

The Health Risks of Smokeless Tobacco

Though this process eliminates the negative respiratory effects associated with cigarette smoke (hence its preference by athletes), smokeless tobacco has been associated with a wide range of health problems, including mouth, tongue, throat, larynx, and stomach cancer. Also common are gingivitis and tooth decay.

Smokeless tobacco has been found to contain 28 carcinogenic (cancer-causing) compounds and the nicotine concentration is much higher than in a cigarette; a single pinch of smokeless tobacco can have as much as five cigarettes’ worth of nicotine.

Smokeless tobacco advertisers spent about $250 million in 2001, with the product’s popularity growing as an alternative to cigarettes, especially as public smoking bans become more prevalent.

The Contents of a Cigarette

Cigarettes are made from dried tobacco leaves that are subsequently rolled into a paper tube. However, tobacco companies use hundreds of additives in their cigarettes to improve taste, make them burn evenly and more quickly, and to preserve the tobacco. Cigarette smoke contains 4,800 chemicals and compounds, including ammonia, carbon monoxide, and plutonium-210, all three of which can kill a person in significant enough quantities. Sixty-nine of these chemicals are known carcinogens, meaning they have been directly linked with cancer.

Carbon monoxide, a major by-product of a burning cigarette, binds with red blood cells in the body, reducing their capacity to carry oxygen.

Several of the compounds found in cigarette smoke, including benzedrine, damage cellular DNA, causing cells to reproduce and grow out of control and thus become cancerous.

Nicotine is the primary addictive element in tobacco. When inhaled, nicotine reaches the brain in less than 10 seconds, where it stimulates the release of adrenaline, which in turn causes a speeding of the metabolism of blood sugars. The adrenaline and the heightened blood sugar metabolism creates a hyper-alertness and stimulation of the brain and cardiovascular system, similar to the effects of caffeine, though in a more potent form. Nicotine is just as addictive as Schedule I narcotics like heroin or cocaine. To date, only about 5 percent of those who try to quit smoking actually achieve long-term success.

Cigarette smoke also contains significant amounts of tar, which has been directly linked to emphysema, chronic bronchitis, and asthma. Emphysema is a chronic blockage of the lungs and airways, preventing the absorption of oxygen by the body. Most emphysems sufferers require an oxygen supplement with them at all times and have extremely limited physical movement.

Cigarette smoking is one of the largest public health tragedies of modern civilization. The number of people who die each year from smoking-related causes in the United States alone could fill three jumbo jets every day, 365 days a year. This fact has long spurred activists to fight tobacco use.

Since the 1960s, anti-smoking ad campaigns have circulated in the United States. At first, they were funded by private, usually socially conservative, groups who viewed smoking as more of a moralistic problem than a health concern. But as time went on and the negative health effects of smoking became more known and accepted, the anti-smoking campaigns began to focus more and more on the negative health effects of cigarette smoking. This shift began in 1964, after the Surgeon General released a comprehensive study based upon 15 years of research revealing the negative health effects of smoking. Even so, it took decades of further education, in the face of constant tobacco industry denial, to firmly implant the negative effects of smoking in the public mind.

The Glamorous Cigarette

By far the most challenging aspect of smoking culture is the glamor of it all. First World War II soldiers and then famous Hollywood actors made smoking seem manly and heroic, and for women it was associated with freedom and the rights won in the suffrage movement. Many anti-smoking ads have specifically targeted the glamorization of the cigarette, such as the ad to the left.

The tobacco industry, however, consistently outspent early anti-smoking ad campaigns by large margins, thus mostly negating their effect. The governments of the United States and Britain responded with a ban on all radio and television cigarette advertisements, starting in the U.K. in 1965 and in the U.S. in 1971. A host of other countries also ban television and radio advertising of cigarettes, including New Zealand, Australia, Canada, and South Africa.

Tobacco companies responded by finding new avenues for their advertising, the most popular of which is the sponsorship of sporting events and product giveaways. Rodeo events in the U.S. are often sponsored by smokeless tobacco companies like Skoal and Copenhagen. NASCAR and other sport car events are favorites of cigarette company sponsors in the United States. Snooker, a billiard game, used to be primarily funded by tobacco companies in the U.K. until a ban on tobacco sponsorships took effect earlier this decade in that country. The United States still allows the sponsorship of sporting events by tobacco companies, while all of the other major countries listed above have banned sporting event sponsorships.

The New Generation of Anti-Smoking Ad Campaigns

In 1998, the four largest tobacco companies in the United States (Phillip Morris, RJ Reynolds, Brown & Williamson, and Lorillard) signed a comprehensive deal with 46 states and six U.S. territories to settle the litigation that several states had brought against them seeking payment for increased Medicaid costs caused by cigarette use.

The settlement, called the Master Settlement Agreement (MSA), requires the tobacco companies to pay the states named in the settlement an annual fee. While the total amount is private, it is definitely in the billions of dollars. This money is spent at the discretion of each state, but is meant to fund state Medicaid coffers and anti-smoking campaigns. The MSA also provided funds for the creation and annual budget of the American Legacy Foundation, an anti-smoking advocacy group behind national anti-smoking ad campaigns, such as The Truth. A litany of state-run anti-smoking campaigns have arisen from the settlement, and the result has been a 50 year low in cigarette smoking in the United States.

Some have criticized the MSA as too lenient on tobacco companies, who still make millions of dollars in profit every year selling a product known to make people sick. The big four companies involved in the settlement got guarantees from the states on price controls for tobacco products, preventing smaller distributors from undercutting them on prices and making it too expensive for them to operate.

Although controversial when they first appeared earlier this decade, public smoking bans have become increasingly present in state and federal legislation. The primary reason to instate a public smoking ban is the harmful health effects of secondhand smoke. However there are many other important reasons, including: the loss of productivity in the workplace due to employees suffering from pulmonary or throat infections, higher energy costs for ventilation of smoky rooms, a higher danger of fire, reduced air quality, and higher insurance costs.

As citizen awareness about the dangers of tobacco has risen over the last 20 years, local and state activism has pushed through more and more anti-smoking legislation. It has been a bottom-up, grassroots effort, completely circumventing the powerful tobacco lobbies in Washington. Federal law still only bans public tobacco use in government buildings, and even then, many federal buildings have special, separately-ventilated rooms for employees who smoke. The United States remains one of the few industrialized countries lacking a comprehensive national smoking ban. All public bans in the U.S. are enacted at the state and local level, resulting in a patchwork pattern of public smoking across the nation. As of 2008, only about 50 percent of Americans were protected by a public smoking ban.

Current Anti-Smoking Legislation

All 50 states ban smoking in either government buildings or the workplace, or both. Twenty-three states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico have some form of public smoking ban in effect. Fifteen states have strengthened their public smoking ban laws in the past year. As the awareness of the dangers of public smoking become more and more apparent, more legislation is being passed to control public smoking. For a complete list, state by state, of the anti-smoking legislation passed in the last year, the American Lung Association has produced State Legislated Actions on Tobacco Issues: 2007 (this is a pdf, so you will need to download Adobe Reader to read it).

Public Smoking Bans Around the World

At least 54 countries have some sort of public smoking ban in place around the world, though enforcement does vary. Ireland made headlines in 2004 when it passed the first national, comprehensive smoking ban in all public buildings and spaces. Ireland’s example was quickly followed by several other European countries.

Critics predicted that such a ban would hurt Ireland’s economy and affect its beloved pub culture. Subsequent studies have shown this to not be the case, with pub sales actually rising six months after the ban was enacted. Other countries have shown similar results, and cite decreased energy expenditure from not having to constantly ventilate a smoky room and improved worker production as economic factors that more than offset any decrease in sales and tax revenue.

While teenage smoking rates have declined in recent years, the battle to educate teens about the risks of cigarette smoking continues. An estimated 60 percent of smokers start smoking by age 14, and 90 percent of smokers are addicted to nicotine by age 19, meaning that only one in ten smoking adults started smoking cigarettes after age 19. These statistics clearly show the risk that tobacco company advertising poses to teenagers.

The tobacco industry spends $13.1 billion dollars every year in advertising, or about $15 for every person in the United States. The three most advertised brands are Marlboro, Camel, and Newport, and these three brands are also by far the most popular with teenage smokers (81.3 percent of teens prefer one of these three brands, whereas only 54.1 percent of adult smokers prefer them).

Despite increased regulation of tobacco advertising, especially advertising targeting minors, tobacco advertising remains much more effective on kids than on adults. A recent survey revealed that kids under the age of 18 were twice as likely to recall tobacco ad campaigns. Another survey revealed that after Camel doubled its advertising spending from 1989 to 1993, its share in the youth market increased by 50 percent.

The Teen Smoking Prevention Campaign

Patrick Reynolds, the grandson of R.J. Reynolds, whose company still produces millions of cigarettes a year and runs the Camel brand, among others, is a leading spokesman in teen smoking prevention. He decided to launch his crusade after his father died of smoking-related complications. He now tours the country’s high schools speaking out against teen smoking.

His presentation is particularly effective with young people because it is personal and serious, but also irreverent and funny at times, with mock ads featuring Joe Camel in a hospital bed:

and showing a bunch of co-workers huddled outside their office building:

Patrick Reynolds’ work has been hailed by educators and teens alike as educational, entertaining, and effective.

If you are interested in getting Patrick Reynolds to speak in your community, first line up some local sponsors to help provide a venue and funds to pay for the event. The best organizations to contact are local hospitals, anti-tobacco groups, the local health department, and any nearby colleges. These organizations have funds available for public service. Emphasize the positive publicity a Patrick Reynolds talk brings in the local media. Once you have some interested parties, contact Lupe Lopez at (800) 741-7741 or lopez@anti-smoking.org to schedule a Patrick Reynolds talk in your community.

Advertising aside, the most influential people in a teenager’s life are his or her parents, and the most effective thing a parent can do to discourage their child from smoking is to lead by example. Studies have shown that children who grew up in households with at least one smoker were twice as likely to become smokers themselves. Talk to your teen and make sure they are aware of the risks of smoking. A lot of teen education campaigns focus on the negative hygiene effects of smoking (e.g. yellow teeth, bad breath, bad smelling clothes) since the health risks associated with smoking often seem like things that only happen to old people. Most importantly, do not make smoking seem taboo or forbidden, as this reinforces the “cool” image perpetrated by tobacco companies. Instead, focus on how unattractive smoking makes a person. In the long run, the most effective form of teen smoking prevention is parental involvement.

Secondhand Smoke and Children

Children are the most at risk when exposed to secondhand smoke. This is partially because they do not know how to avoid it. A non-smoking adult can choose to avoid a smoky bar, whereas 35 percent of children live in homes where secondhand smoke is commonplace. Secondhand smoke exposure, even for brief periods, has been shown to have the following negative health effects in children:

1. Retarded lung development and decreased lung function. This is especially true of infants and very young children exposed to secondhand smoke.
2. A higher incidence of asthma and increased severity of attacks, resulting in as many as one million additional doctor visits per year in the U.S. alone.
3. An increased risk of lower respiratory tract infection (as many as 300,000 a year) that require a doctor or hospital visit.
4. Increased fluid in the ear canal, resulting in a higher likelihood of ear infection.
5. As many as 430 Sudden Infant Death Syndrome cases are directly linked to secondhand smoke every year, according to the American Lung Association.

Smoking while pregnant, or even being exposed to secondhand smoke while pregnant, increases the likelihood of miscarriage and premature birth, decreased birth weight, and retarded lung development in the fetus.

Stop Smoking with Hypnosis

Hypnosis is an ancient technique in which the patient is put into a relaxed state that brings the subconscious mind to the forefront, making that person very open to suggestion. Trained hypnotists can then use the power of suggestion to convince a person that smoking cigarettes is distasteful.

The greatest benefit to a smoker is that you can continue to smoke while you undergo hypnosis sessions, the theory being that the suggestions that cigarettes are distasteful will eventually lead you to put them down on your own. Keep in mind that hypnosis is not a regulated industry, meaning there are plenty of hacks out there, especially on the web. Be sure you are dealing with a licensed hypnotherapist with a medical degree. Also remember that if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Before putting down some real cash, do your homework. Some hypnosis programs claim a 66 percent quit smoking rate for people who have had 4 - 6 sessions. While this number cannot be verified, if the real number was half that, it would still be double the success rate of Nicotine Replacement Therapy (NRT) programs like the patch or nicotine gum.

Laser Treatment to Quit Smoking

Another alternative way to stop smoking is through a non-invasive, low-intensity laser treatment. The laser is trained on certain meridian points in the body to stimulate endorphin release and create a sense of relaxation and well-being. Acupuncture uses these same meridian points in the body. There is no sensation of heat or pain. After one treatment, many smokers experience reduced cravings and withdrawal symptoms.

Smoking cessation with laser treatment claims a 90 percent success rate. That number cannot be independently verified, although there is a money-back guarantee for the treatment, which runs almost $400. Interestingly, the laser treatment requires that you follow all of the same steps recommended by the medical community to quit smoking: set a quit date, announce your plans to quit, throw away all your tobacco products, etc. The laser treatment is only meant to help with cravings. Therefore, it is important to note that laser treatment is not a cure-all, and should only be tried after careful research and only in conjunction with a traditional, medically approved smoking cessation program.

Quit Smoking With Acupuncture

Acupuncture is an ancient healing technique developed in China. It focuses on key points of energy located throughout the body on vertical lines called meridians. The withdrawal symptoms of quitting smoking are controlled by tapping into some of these energy points and rebalancing the body. An acupuncture specialist will typically analyze your particular symptoms and smoking habits and then customize an acupuncture treatment accordingly. Acupuncture treatment for quitting smoking is usually administered 4 - 6 times in the first two weeks after you quit smoking, and monthly afterwards for 4 - 6 months. Again, results may vary for such treatments, so consult closely with your acupuncturist and do your research before committing the money to such a program.