Since its use as early as 5000 BC in religious ceremonies, smoking has evolved into a form of recreational drug use. Today, around 1.22 billion people smoke. About 20% of which are young teens. With the discovery of its hazardous health effects, many countries tried to lower smoking rates by instituting high taxes on tobacco products, anti-smoking campaigns, and smoking bans in most public buildings. In the developed world, smoking rates have declined or stayed constant. For example, in the United States, smoking rates from 1965 to 2006 have dropped from 42% to 20.8% of adults. But in the developing world, consumption is still rising by 3.4% per year as of 2002.Because of its high consumption, prevalence of diseases and deaths caused by smoking has also drastically increased.

• Smoking increases the risk of lung cancer. In the United States, it is estimated that 87% of lung cancer cases were caused by smoking.
• If you smoke, you are five times more likely to have a heart attack.
• Secondhand smoke kills about 50,000 Americans every year. You are killing others, too!
• Today, smoking is known as the second major cause of death in the world! It accounts for 58.8 million deaths worldwide. According to the World Health Organization, a smoker dies every 6.5 seconds!
• Smoking is the leading cause of vascular stenosis, heart attacks, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
• Smoking while pregnant can cause birth defects.
• For every cigarette, 11 minutes of your life is lost!

The statistics are staggering! I hope that these numbers will make you realize what smoking does to your body. Quit now before a number of diseases have already developed because of your smoking. Quit now before it affects your loved one’s health. Quit now before it’s too late!

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