Smoking Overview:

In the United States:
• 20.6% of U.S. adults smoke
• 40% of non-smokers are exposed to secondhand smoke
• 54% of children are exposed to secondhand smoke
• Smoking causes 443,000 deaths every year!
In Kentucky:
• More than 8,000 Kentuckians will die this year from tobacco-related illnesses
• 28.6% of Kentucky adults smoke which is one of the highest rates in the nation
• 17% of Kentucky youth smoke

CHINA

The facts about smoking in China are scary and getting scarier by the minute:
It produces more tobacco than any other country.
It has an estimated 350 million smokers — that's 1 in 3 of the world's smokers.
36% of the population smoke, including 70% of all Chinese men. Most of them have no knowledge of the facts about smoking or any awareness of the consequences they face.
More than one million people a year die in China from tobacco-related diseases, including lung cancer and heart disease.
These 1 million smokers were mainly aged 35-69 and this figure is predicted to increase to 2 mil in just 15 years.
In fact the biggest killer in China is lung cancer, beating road accidents (and if you drive in China, you'll know what this means!).

CUBA — home of smooth cigars and black tobacco cigarettes:

In an effort to have Cubans live longer, Fidel Castro issued a stop smoking resolution back in Feb 2005, banning smoking in enclosed public spaces, such as halls, theatres, sports facilities, transport, and designated areas in clubs and restaurants. Cubans laughed at the idea and mostly ignored this attack on their sacred vice, and the authorities are not interested in enforcing the ban.
Castro himself quit chomping on cigars in 1986 to try and set a good example to other Cubans and to support his health ministry's anti-smoking efforts.
Cubans took no notice and currently 40% of the population of 11.2 million smoke.
The cheapest pack of cigs costs ½ a day's pay and one cheap cigar costs ¼ of a day's pay.
Smoking death statistics for Cubans, that cancer and heart disease are the leading causes of death, with the highest percentage caused by smoking.
Doctors are some of the heaviest smokers even though they were banned from smoking during work back in 1990.

ENGLAND & WALES
45,000 people die each year from COPD (chronic bronchitis and emphysema), or diseases precipitated by COPD, such as pneumonia, heart disease and stroke. Smoking is the leading cause of COPD. A smoker is 10 times more likely to die of COPD than a non-smoker. Global deaths are estimated to be 4.8 million.

How does smoking affect health?

• On average, adults who smoke cigarettes die 14 years earlier than non-smokers
• Harms nearly every organ in your body
• Causes coughing and wheezing
• Causes yellowing of teeth and fingernails
• Leading cause of cancer incidence and mortality
• Increases risk of developing heart disease
• Increases risk of having a stroke
• Increases risk of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
• Increases risk of hip fractures and cataracts
• Increases risk of pneumonia
• Women: increases risk of premature birth or low birth weight babies
• Women: increases risk of cervical cancer

Pap tests
• Men: increases risk of prostate cancer

How does secondhand smoke affect health?

• Secondhand smoke exposure is responsible for 49,400 deaths each year
• Known to cause cancer
Living with a smoker increases a non-smokers chance of lung cancer by 20-30%
• May trigger asthma attacks in non-smokers with asthma

Effects of secondhand smoke on children’s health
• Increased risk of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS)
• Increased number of ear infections and colds
• Increased risk of pneumonia, bronchitis and asthma

What Happens When You Quit Smoking?

20 minutes
Blood pressure and heart rate return to normal
8 hours
Carbon monoxide in blood decreases to normal
24 hours
Risk of having a heart attack decreases
48 hours
Nerve endings start to regrow
Ability to taste and smell is enhanced
2 to 12 weeks
Circulation improves, less coughing and wheezing
Improvement in lung function begins
1 to 9 months
Cough, sinus congestion, fatigue and shortness of breath decrease
Phlegm production decreases
Cilia (tiny hair like structures) in the lung regain normal function
1 year
Risk of heart disease and heart attack reduced to half that of a smoker
5 to 15 years
Risk of stroke returns to that of a non-smoker
10 years
Risk of lung, mouth, throat, esophagus, bladder, kidney and pancreas cancer drops
15 years
Risk of heart disease and heart attack similar to risk of those who have never smoked

10 Smoking Facts That You Don’t Know

10. The legal age of tobacco purchasing is increased from 16 to 18 in many countries except in Japan, where the minimum age is 20 years for that.
9. Scientists say that smokers lose 14 years of their life due to smoking.
8. After smoke is inhaled, nicotine reaches the brain within 10 seconds and is found in every part of the body.
7. Urea that is a major component of urine is added to flavor the cigarettes.
6. Smokers normally smoke after having a meal; because they think that it allows food to digest easily but in fact the body’s priority moves to protecting blood cells other than digesting food.
5. Around 25% of the cigarettes are sold around the world are smuggled
4. Brands like Marlboro, Kool, Camel and Kent owns around 70% of the cigarette market.
3. U.S cigarette manufacturers earn a lot more in selling the cigarettes to countries all over the world than by selling to Americans.
2. Now with blended tobacco some toppings are mixed to add flavor like clove, licorice, orange oil, apricot stone, lime oil, lavender oil, cocoa and many other.
1. Cigarette is the only most traded item in the world. More than $400 billion is earned by the industries each year.