People who smoke usually pick up the habit early in life. A recent report from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, documents the extent of the problem in the US:

• 119,700 The number of individuals age 12-17 that smoked cigarettes for the first time in 2007 (as compared to 132,800 in 2006 and 110,580 in 2002)
• 12.4 The percentage of youth 12 to 17 that had smoked at least one cigarette within the last 30 days in 2007
• 6,100 The approximate number of individuals who begin smoking each day
• 16.9 The average age of initiation for new smokers
• 9.9 The national weighted average rate of tobacco sales (RVR) to minors as reported by the 50 states and District of Columbia in 2007—the lowest RVR reported in the 12 years since this statistic has been kept
• 269,655 Annual average deaths among males due to illnesses related to smoking from 2000 to 2004
• 173,940 Annual average deaths among females due to illnesses related to smoking from 2000 to 2004

Source: FFY 2008 Annual Synar Report, Youth Tobacco Sales, http://prevention.samhsa.gov/tobacco/synarreportfy2008.pdf

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