U.S. Surgeon General says today's tobacco products more addictive

By Staff Writer

A recent report from the U.S. Surgeon General Regina Benjamin states that cigarettes manufactured today are more addicting and attractive than ever before.

The document, called A Report of the Surgeon General: How Tobacco Smoke Causes Disease, reveals that today's cigarette products contain nicotine that reaches the brain more efficiently and through multiple pathways, which makes it easier for children to become addicted. The chemicals also make it more difficult for smokers to quit.

The report also reveals that there is no safe level of exposure to secondhand smoke, and that even low levels of exposure can have an immediate impact on the body that can lead to permanent health damage. Secondhand smoke has been linked to sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) and respiratory illness in children, according to the Surgeon General.

Approximately 70 percent of smokers want to quit, but many do not have the resources or will power to stop, the report states. Benjamin added that patients who are counseled while attempting to quit are 66 percent more likely to succeed.

According to the National Center for Biotechnology Information, early experimenters and smokers are more likely than nonsmokers to experience various behavioral problems by grade 12.