Each year cigarette smoking is responsible for 500,000 premature deaths (Nugel), you don't want to be just another statistic, do you? America's first cash crop was tobacco. This means that tobacco has been around for a long time. It was not until 1865, however, that cigarettes were sold commercially. They were sold to soldiers at the end of the Civil War (Dowshen). Since then, cigarettes spread like wildfire, and only in 1964 did anyone take a stand on the negative effects of tobacco and cigarettes. People start smoking for many different reasons, some to fit in and others to "escape". Regardless, it's a horrible habit. 3900 children will try their first cigarette today. Among adults who currently smoke, 68% started smoking at age 18 or younger, and 85% started smoking at age 21 or younger (American Lung Association). And of all these people, 70% say that if they had had another chance they would never have picked up that first cigarette (Tobacco Free Maine). Smoking is responsible for 1 in 5 deaths in the United States and is the leading cause of preventable death (NLH). Smoking burns and there is no doubt about it, but before you reach for that cigarette, understand the negative effects not only on yourself, but also on others affected by your poor choices, such as secondhand smoke. Due to cigarette smoking, many types of cancer, decreased quality of life, and adverse health effects have become all too common in the world today. There are over 7,000 chemicals present in tobacco smoke. Of these, over 250 are considered harmful and of these 69 cause cancer. Those substances that cause cancer are called carcinogens (Nugel). It is clear that cancer and smoking can be linked. Smoking causes cancer of the lungs, esophagus, larynx, mouth,...... center of paper......sis. Before you reach for that cigarette, remember; the smoke burns. Works Cited “American Lung Association.” American Lung Association. ALA, 2010. Web. 26 February 2014. Bellum, Sarah. “Drug abuse among adolescents”. National Institute on Drug Abuse.gov. 1998. Web.29 February 2014. Dowshen, Steven. "Smoking." Kidshealth.org. Nemours, February 2013. Web. February 19, 2014. “Health Effects of Tobacco” Tobacco-Free Maine. TBF. 2014. Web. 28 February 2014. Nugel, Rob. “Cigarette smoke.” VXL Encyclopedia of Science. Vol.3 2nd edition, 2002. Pg.476-478. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Network. February 26, 2014. Rackley, Jenny. "Adolescents, tobacco and compromises". Drug education library. LucentLibri, 2002. Pages 47-58. Gale, Cengage Learning. Network. 27 February 2014. "Youth and tobacco use". Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. CENTER FOR DISEASE PREVENTION AND CONTROL. February 14, 2014. February 27 2014.