Smoking is a greater cause of death and disability than any single disease. It is responsible for approximately 3.5 million deaths worldwide every year - or about 7% of all deaths. Tobacco smoking is a known or probable cause of approximately 25 diseases, and even the WHO says that its impact on world health is not fully assessed. Studies show that smokers in their 30s and 40s are five times more likely to have a heart attack than non-smokers. Tobacco contributes to the hardening of the arteries, which can then become blocked and starve the heart of blood flow, causing the attack. Often, smokers who develop this will require complex and risky heart bypass surgery. If you smoke for a lifetime, there is a 50% chance that your eventual death will be smoking-related

discouragement of moderation in consumption, a widespread disrespect for the law, and many other social ills. Even if it were somehow possible to prohibit the consumption of alcohol, people who have emotional or psychological problems and need a "crutch" would simply turn to the abuse of other, frequently illegal, substances. Alcohol destroys brain cells, causes weight gain, and alcohol advertising increases drinking problems.

Lung problems another primary health risk associated with smoking are lung cancer, which kills more than 20,000 people every year. US studies have shown that men who smoke increase their chances of dying from the disease by more than 22 times. Women who smoke increase this risk by nearly 12 times. Lung cancer is a difficult cancer to treat - long term survival rates are poor. Smoking also increases the risk of oral, uterine, liver, kidney, bladder, stomach, and cervical cancers, and leukemia. Another health problem associated with tobacco is emphysema, which, when combined with chronic bronchitis, produces chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. The lung damage which causes emphysema is irreversible, and makes it extremely difficult to breathe.

Harm to children, smoking in pregnancy greatly increases the risk of miscarriage, is associated with lower birth weight babies, and inhibited

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, Sally Chen, Safety Administration, Joanne Jacobs, alcohol abuse, drinking alcohol, increases risk, consumption alcohol, lung cancer, smoking increases risk, smoke increase, death disability, taking drugs, smoking increases, heavy drinking,