The century-long epidemic of cigarette smoking has caused an enormous, (yet avoidable) public health catastrophe in the United States.
Since the first Surgeon General's report on smoking and health was published 50 years ago, more than 20 million Americans have died because of smoking.
Smoking rates among adults and teens are less than half what they were in 1964; however, 42 million American adults and about 3 million middle and high school students continue to smoke. Unfortunately, women have caught up with men statistically in regards to smoking-related lung cancer.
In 1959 the number of women who developed lung cancer due to smoking was 2.7 percent, in 2010 it was 25.7 percent.
The goal of ending tobacco-related death and disease requires additional action. Movies and TV shows like Madmen have continued to glamorize smoking and, hopefully accidentally, target our youth into thinking that smoking is sexy and attractive.
Ninety percent of all smokers start before the age of 18, and 99 percent start before the age of 26. If we can just get our next generation to not smoke their first cigarette before the age of 26, there is a less than one percent chance they will ever start.
This is why the focus is now on America's youth and making sure our next generation is tobacco-free.
Dr. Regina Benjamin, MD. Surbeon General of the U.S., shares the report on smoking and how we can stop the next generation from falling victim to this deadly habit.