1. TOBACCO THE TRUTH ABOUT TOBACCO “We don’t smoke that s***, we just sell it. We reserve the right to smoke for the young, the black, the poor, and the stupid.” – R.J. Reynolds CEO of second largest tobacco company

2. THE BASICS HTTP://TRUTHAGAINSTTOBACCO.COM There is no safe level of exposure to tobacco smoke. Even the occasional cigarette or secondhand smoke is harmful. Damage from tobacco smoke is immediate. The chemicals in tobacco reach your lungs quickly, and are carried through your blood stream to every organ in your body. One thousand Americans stop smoking every day – by dying. ~Author Unknown

3. THE BASICS Cigarettes are designed for addiction, and they work. Only 4.7% of smokers successfully quit each year. Cigarette smoke contains over 4,800 chemicals. 69 are known to cause cancer. The rest are just really bad for you. There is no safe cigarette. Evidence indicates that "light" and "low-tar" cigarettes are just as bad as their "normal" counterparts HTTP://TRUTHAGAINSTTOBACCO.COM

4. THE HEALTH EFFECTS Tobacco smoke damages blood vessels and thickens your blood, making it more likely to clot, leading to heart attacks, strokes, and even sudden death. Smoking tobacco has many highly-noticeable effects, such as the infamous "smoker's breath", tar-stained teeth, yellowed fingertips, premature facial wrinkles, and a lingering stench. Can also cause hair loss HTTP://TRUTHAGAINSTTOBACCO.COM

5. EXAMPLES OF EFFECTS ON THE SKIN HTTP://TRUTHAGAINSTTOBACCO.COM

6. EXAMPLES OF EFFECTS ON THE SKIN HTTP://TRUTHAGAINSTTOBACCO.COM

7. THE HEALTH EFFECTS Tobacco smoke inflames the delicate lining of your lungs, and can cause permanent damage, emphysema, and chronic bronchitis. Tobacco smoke weakens your immune system, making it harder to fight off infectious disease. The toxicants and chemicals in tobacco smoke damage your DNA, which can lead to cancer. Smoking cigarettes causes impaired lung growth during childhood and adolescence Puts children at higher risk for illnesses and infection HTTP://TRUTHAGAINSTTOBACCO.COM “The base of our business is the high school student” Lorillard area sales manager Ted L. Achey. “Students are tremendously loyal. If you catch them, they’ll stick with you like glue.” - Philip Morris

8. THE BRAIN EFFECTS Nicotine reaches your brain within 10 seconds of inhalation. The powerful addicting elements of tobacco products affect multiple types of nicotine receptors in the brain. Adolescents who smoke show impaired memory and other brain functions. Kids and young adults are more susceptible to nicotine, and are more easily addicted than adults. The neurotoxic effects of nicotine are more severe for adolescent and their developing brains. Smoking is "more addictive" to younger brains. In animal trials, nicotine exposure during the brain's growth spurt had long term consequences for brain development. HTTP://TRUTHAGAINSTTOBACCO.COM

9. THE CHEMICALS Hydrazine: also found in rocket fuel. Geraniol: also found in pesticides. Lead: also found in bullets. Toluene: also found in explosives. Cadmium: also found in batteries. Methanol: also found in antifreeze. Arsenic: a.k.a poison. Polonium-210: extremely radioactive; once used to allegedly murder a Russian spy. Cyanide: a.k.a poison. Urea: a.k.a. urine, a.k.a. pee. Benzene: also found in furniture wax, volcanoes. Formaldehyde: also found in wart remover, toilet paper. Vinyl Chloride: also found in hair spray. Ammonia: also found in fertilizer. Acetaldehyde: also found in car exhaust. Cresol: also found in crude oil. Ethylene Oxide: also found in anti-freeze. Cigarette smoke contains around 7000 chemicals. 69 are known to cause cancer. These are just a few: HTTP://TRUTHAGAINSTTOBACCO.COM Phew, only about 6,982 more chemicals to go....

10. 3 MAIN CHEMICALS Nicotine: a poisonous drug stimulant that acts on the adrenal glands, heart and brain. Increases heart rate and blood pressure Is very addictive Tar: a thick, dark, sticky liquid added for “flavor” Contains hundreds of carcinogens (cause cancer) Coats cilia, impairing lung function HTTP://TRUTHAGAINSTTOBACCO.COM Carbon Monoxide: a colorless, odorless, poisonous gas. Prevents hemoglobin from carrying oxygen to the cells

11. CHEWING TOBACCO Delays healing of wounds Increases gum and tooth decay Risk of oral cancers is 50% times greater Increases chance of lip cancer Leukoplakia (a callus in the mouth) – a thick white, leathery patch. Pre- cancerous HTTP://TRUTHAGAINSTTOBACCO.COM

12. THE STATS Every year, tobacco kills more Americans than AIDS, alcohol, car accidents, murders, suicides, drugs, and fires. Combined. Nearly 1/3 of all cancer deaths every year are linked to smoking. The tobacco industry spends about $12.5 billion on advertising and promotions every year. In 2006 alone, Americans spent an estimated $90 billion on tobacco products. That's over $34 million a day. Cigarette companies advertised "light" cigarettes as less harmful for years, even though they have since been found to deliver the same levels of tar and nicotine as "normal" cigarettes. A tobacco company once gave $125,000 worth of food to a charity (according to an estimate by the Wall Street Journal), then turned around and spent $22 million telling people about it. HTTP://TRUTHAGAINSTTOBACCO.COM

13. THE STATS Tobacco companies actually went to court to fight for the right to allow tobacco advertising near high schools. They won. Yay. In the U.S., about 50,000 people each year die from secondhand smoke-related disease. 443,000 people die every year in the U.S. because of tobacco. 1,200 people die every day in the U.S. from tobacco-related disease. Cigarette smokers are 20 times more likely to develop lung cancer. Cigarette smoking is the number one cause of preventable death in the U.S. Tobacco accounts for one out of every ten deaths worldwide. In 1989, millions of cases of imported fruit were banned after a small amount of cyanide was found in just two grapes. There is 33 times more cyanide in one cigarette than what was found in those grapes. HTTP://TRUTHAGAINSTTOBACCO.COM

14. QUITTING - MORE THAN 70% OF SMOKERS WANT TO QUIT 1.Don’t smoke any cigarettes.  Each cigarette you smoke damages your lungs, your blood vessels, and cells throughout your body.  Even occasional smoking is harmful. 2.Write down why you want to quit. Do you want to—  Feel in control of your life?  Have better health?  Set a good example?  Protect your family from breathing other people’s smoke?  Really wanting to quit smoking is very important to how much success you will have in quitting. 3.Know that it will take commitment and effort to quit smoking.  Nearly all smokers have some feelings of nicotine withdrawal when they try to quit. Nicotine is addictive. Knowing this will help you deal with withdrawal symptoms that can occur, such as bad moods and really wanting to smoke. HTTP://TRUTHAGAINSTTOBACCO.COM

15. QUITTING – CONT. 4.There are many ways smokers quit, including using nicotine replacement products (gum and patches) or FDA-approved, non-nicotine cessation medications. But there is no easy way.  For most people, the worst of the symptoms only last a few days to a couple weeks. Take quitting one day at a time, even one minute at a time— whatever you need to succeed. 5.Get help  Smokers can receive free resources and assistance to help them quit by calling 1-800-QUIT-NOW, or by visiting smokefree.gov, SmokefreeWomen, SfT (Smokefree Teen), or smokefree.gov (en Español).smokefree.govSmokefreeWomen SfT (Smokefree Teen)smokefree.gov (en Español)  Your doctor or dentist is also a good source of help and support.  Concerned about weight gain? It's a common concern, but not everyone gains weight when they stop smoking. Learn ways to help you control your weight as you quit smoking. 6.Remember this good news! More than half of all adult smokers have quit, and you can, too. Millions of people have learned to face life without a cigarette.  Quitting smoking is the best step you can take to help stay healthy. HTTP://TRUTHAGAINSTTOBACCO.COM