Did You Know...

Good news or bad, we've got facts and figures to help you make up your mind about smoking.

The good...

• The latest Canadian statistics show that fewer teenagers aged 15-19 are smoking. In 2001, only 22.5% of teens aged 15-19 smoked; that's down from 28% in 1999!
• Teen smokers lead the way when it comes to quitting. In fact 25% of teen smokers were actively trying to quit in 2000.
• Thinking of quitting? Increase the odds. Check out Quit 4 Life. Why wait?

The bad...

• Teen girls start smoking earlier than boys and more girls 15 to 19 years old smoke (24% vs 21% in 2001)
• In 2001, an estimated 800,000 kids under 12 were regularly exposed to second-hand smoke in the home from cigarettes, cigars or pipes.
• One tree is lost for every 300 cigarettes manufactured.

And the ugly.

• Approximately half of all smokers die from a smoking-related illness -- cancer, heart disease and other ailments.
• Canadian teenagers smoke more than 1.6 billion cigarettes each year -- resulting in retail sales worth more than $330 million. Just think about what else could be done with that money.
• More than 1,000 non-smokers will die this year in Canada due to tobacco use -- over 300 lung cancer deaths and at least 700 deaths from coronary heart disease will be caused by second-hand smoke.