Dear Devil, There are approximately 47 million smokers in the U.S. About 23 percent of adults smoke and about 30 percent of adolescents smoke. It?s estimated that both directly or indirectly smoking causes more then 400,000 deaths in the U.S annually. This number represents nearly 20 percent of the deaths in the U.S. Still think it?s nothing to worry about? Do you think that you?ll just do a little puff and quit? That?s unlikely. Contrary to what the advertisers want you to believe. Smoking is very addicting! Once you start, it?s very hard to stop. It?s unfortunate for those people who didn?t know the facts about smoking, because they ended up with lung cancer and dying. Smoking is very bad for your health. People who never use tobacco by the age of 21 are likely to remain non-smokers. That?s Good News! So, if you want to smoke DON?T do it until you?re at least 21 years old. At 21 you will know a lot more about the facts about smoking. Most likely after you know all the facts, you will NOT want to smoke. The only way you?d smoke would be if someone were to shove it in your throat and force you to do it. Right?! Tobacco is the only organic source of nicotine, which is what makes tobacco addicting. In addition to its nicotine, tobacco smoke contains some 4,000 different gases and particles, including ?tar,? a conglomeration of many chemicals? which is especially harmful to the lungs. More then 40 carcinogens-chemicals that cause cancer- have been identified in tobacco smoke, and one of these, benzo(a)pyrene, is being studied as a possible direct link to cancer. That makes smoking sound like so much fun, doesn?t it? Knowing that you could get cancer from smoking should make one not want to do it. It should Scare you not just a little, but a lot! The smallest group of tobacco user use ?smokeless tobacco? in a form of snuff or the peculiarly American product, chewing tobacco. Smokeless tobacco can cause mouth and neck cancer. I don?t know about you, but that doesn?t sound to me something that should be taken lightly. Getting Cancer from smoking is not fun. Tobacco affects people in many, many ways. Smoking or chewing tobacco stimulates tobacco the habitual user, creating a pleasurable sensation not unlike a high. It makes people feel relaxed, but it causes them lots of stress. When nicotine is taken into the lungs, it is transmitted to the brain in seconds. It makes your heart beat really fast and pushes out more blood. It also makes the veins and arteries contrast, which means your heart, has to work much harder then normal. This results in increased blood pressure and heart rate! This is a really good reason NOT to use tobacco, ever! Carbon monoxide is among the many toxic chemicals in presents in tobacco smoke. It impedes the ability of red blood cells to carry oxygen to bodily tissues, including heart and brain tissue. The lack of oxygen causes the heart to work harder and can lead to a thickening of walls and possible heart failures. See how horrible smoking is?! I do not want to alarm you, but smoking can cause Cancer to thirteen places in your body! They are the lungs, mouth, throat, larynx, esophagus, stomach, pancreas, uterus, cervix, kidney, bladder, and some forms of Leukemia. How horrible! Knowing all this, who would want to smoke? Not me, that?s for sure. I want to lead a happy, healthy life. I hope with all this information, you?ll decide that smoking is definitely not worth the risk. After all, who would want to do those things that smoking does to ones health? So, now that you know about all those things, DON?T SMOKE! Be cool and just say NO! Angelique Hanna