Cigarettes and Other Nicotine Products
Nicotine is one of the most heavily used addictive drugs in the United States. Cigarette smoking has been the most popular method of taking nicotine since the beginning of the 20th century. In 1998, 60 million Americans were current cigarette smokers (28 percent of all Americans aged 12 and older), and 4.1 million were between the ages of 12 and 17 (18 percent of youth in this age bracket).
In 1989, the U.S. Surgeon General issued a report that concluded that cigarettes and other forms of tobacco, such as cigars, pipe tobacco, and chewing tobacco, are addictive and that nicotine is the drug in tobacco that causes addiction. In addition, the report determined that smoking was a major cause of stroke and the third leading cause of death in the United States.
Source: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. National Institute on Drug Abuse. (2002, September 24). NIDA InfoFacts: Cigarettes and Other Nicotine ProductsWashington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office. Retrieved October 03, 2002 from http://www.drugabuse.gov/Infofax/tobacco.html (more information available at this site)
