Almost everyone knows the dangers of smoking. Smoking is bad for you- old news. I always grew up hearing about how addicting cigarette smoke was and how harmful it is to your body, but I never really gave it much thought. I never smoked a cigarette, so maybe it worked. However, I have a few friends who insist on smoking. They tell me that while they know that cigarette smoking is hazardous, the "pros" outnumber the "cons". Things like "lower blood pressure" and a "more relaxed feeling" are the most common responses when I asked what the positive effects of cigarette smoking were. To shed light on the subject, I did a little research. Here is what I found:

-80% of all deaths from lung cancer are caused by

-Cancer of the bladder, oral cavity, pancreas, pharynx, larynx, cervix, kidney, esophagus, lung, and stomach can be caused by

-One out of every five deaths in America is a result of

-The risk of stoke is nearly doubled when a person is

-30% of all cancer deaths are caused by

-Reduced blood circulation due to narrowing arteries is caused by

-90% of all deaths from chronic obstructive lung diseases are attributable to

-Almost 15 years are taken off of someone's life due to

-Deaths from HIV, illegal drug use, alcohol use, motor vehicle injuries, suicides, and murders are outweighed by

To finish these facts, you only need two words: smoking cigarettes. And to elaborate on that last fact, the number of deaths each year from HIV, illegal drug use, alcohol use, motor vehicle injuries, suicides, and murders COMBINED do not equal the amount of lives lost due to cigarette smoking. Think about those numbers.

I grew up knowing that Nicotine was addictive. I was told it in every anti-drug rally at my school about the addictiveness of it. But here are some things I didn't know about Nicotine:

-Nicotine reaches the brain within 10 seconds after smoke is inhaled.

-It has been found in every part of a smoker's body- even in breast milk.

-It enters the blood stream faster than cocaine and crystal meth.

-Nicotine is actually a pesticide used to stimulate the growth of tobacco plants.

Nicotine is just one of the many ingredients in a cigarette. How many are in a cigarette? One cigarette contains more than 4,000 chemicals, many of which are toxic to the body. At least 60 of these chemicals are carcinogens (meaning they have been scientifically proven to cause cancer in humans).

Some of you may have seen the list of chemicals.

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