| Teen smoking is one of the few warning signs we have in public health. Teens who smoke are 3 times more likely than non-smokers to use alcohol, 8 times more likely to use marijuana, and 22 times more likely to use cocaine. Smoking is also associated with a host of other risk behaviors such as fighting and engaging in unprotected sex.9
Smoking can cause chronic lung disease, coronary heart disease, and stroke, as well as cancer of the lung, larynx, esophagus, mouth, and bladder. Smoking is also known to contribute to cancer of the cervix, pancreas, and kidney.10
Tobacco use causes about one in every five deaths, and is the single most preventable cause of death and disease in our nation.16
Nearly all experimentation with tobacco occurs before high school graduation. If young people can be kept tobacco-free, most of them will never start using tobacco.9
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| Smoking-related illnesses cost the nation more than $100 billion each year.17
Approximately 36% of high school students are current cigarette smokers, as compared to 24% among adults.15, 18
If current trends continue, an estimated 5 million young people alive today will die from tobacco.16
Although consideribly lower than rates among white youth, smoking among African American students has increased 80%, and 34% for Hispanic students since 1991. Smoking among white students has increased 28% since 1991.15
According to a 1997 survey of high school students, 31.2% of males, and 10.8% of females had used a cigar within the last month.15
The tobacco industry spends over $5 billion annually in the U.S. to advertise and promote cigarettes (that's more than $13 million each day).15
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| 85% of adolescent smokers buy Marlboro, Camel, and Newport - the three most heavily advertised brands.9
Each year, exposure to secondhand smoke causes an estimated 3,000 nonsmoking Americans to die of lung cancer and causes up to 300,000 children to suffer from lower respiratory tract infections. In fact, the EPA has named secondhand smoke a group A carcinogen.20
Several studies have found nicotine as addictive as heroin, cocaine or alcohol.9
The smokeless tobacco products that are flavored, easy-to-use, and have lower levels of available nicotine are the most popular with new users; and are commonly referred to as "starter" products. After a few years of use, young users prefer brands with more available nicotine.21
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About the Smoke Screeners Program
Smoke Screeners is an educational program to increase awareness among youth about tobacco use in the movies. It was created as a part of the youth initiative of the Massachusetts Department of Public Health's anti-smoking campaign and is now a national effort. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention would like to extend its gratitude to Massachusetts for kindly allowing use of this product for national distribution.
Special thanks to the members of the Secretarial Initiative to Reduce Tobacco Use Among Teens and Preteens workgroup, including Kelly Barry (Stop Teenage Addiction to Tobacco), Carlea Bauman (Florida Department of Health), Pat Etem and Stacy Dyer (LA Link), Ripley Forbes (Office of Public Health and Science), Trisha Gibson and Curt Mekemson (American Lung Association of Sacramento - Emigrant Trails), Ann Houston (North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services), Dianne May (Michigan Department of Community Health), Rebecca Murphy (Utah Department of Health), Susan Russell (Consultant to the Office on Smoking and Health, CDC), Bob Vollinger (National Cancer Institute), and to the many public school teachers who provided feedback on this product.
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