Tobacco, in all of its forms, is the most addictive substance on earth. And because most tobacco users start before they are 18 years old, when the brain is more vulnerable to addiction, it’s even more addictive than for those starting later in life. Knowing this, public health advocates have worked long and hard to delay uptake of tobacco in populations. Some strategies used include Tobacco Industry lawsuits and legal actions geared to curb advertising to youth, tobacco retail licensing, vender assisted sales, and tobacco use prevention education programs. Second-hand smoke (SHS) and vape are also dangerous—even deadly—and the reason for all the smoke-free and tobacco-free ordinances and laws sweeping California, both on and off college campuses. SHS is particularly harmful to infants and small children, though plenty of older children and adults become ill when exposed to it.

In spite of all these efforts, 10,800 Californians become daily smokers each year. Why? Living with a parent or other adult or older sibling that smokes serves as a ready source of tobacco and role modeling for the behavior. Also, the Tobacco industry continues to target vulnerable populations: college age people, the LGBTQ+ community, people of color, the poor, and military, to name a few. Finally, the industry uses its vast resources to develop slick packaging and new products, and manipulates media such as movies, videos, TV, the Internet, etc., to reach new customers in every way they can. They do a great job of making people think that tobacco use is more common and acceptable than it is so that mainly young people will try it and, unfortunately, become addicted to it.

All forms are expensive, shave years off the life span, affect appearance (bad teeth, brown fingernails, wrinkles, bad breath, smoky odor), lead to social isolation, and harm health. The latest form to hit the market, e-cigarettes or “vapor”, can cause serious lung disease and death; more research each day is revealing other health consequences for this practice.

Most tobacco users wish they’d never started. If that’s you, read on.

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