Blowing Smoke

Despite the proven health risks associated with smoking--e.g., lung cancer, emphysema, congestive heart failure, colorectal cancer, hypertension--many Americans continue to smoke. Here are the latest figures, reported in Time magazine's July 16 issue:

• 71.5 million Americans use tobacco products.
• 23.4 percent of men are cigarette smokers.
• 18.5 percent of women are cigarette smokers.
• 44.3 percent of young adults 18 to 25 years old use tobacco, the highest of any group.
  

The article also mentioned that tobacco use is lowest in the West and highest in the Midwest.