Cigarettes and Other Nicotine Products

Cigarettes and Other Nicotine Products
Nicotine is one of the most heavily used addictive drugs in the United States. Cigarette smoking has been the most popular method of taking nicotine since the beginning of the 20th century. In 1998, 60 million Americans were current cigarette smokers (28 percent of all Americans aged 12 and older), and 4.1 million were between the ages of 12 and 17 (18 percent of youth in this age bracket).

In 1989, the U.S. Surgeon General issued a report that concluded that cigarettes and other forms of tobacco, such as cigars, pipe tobacco, and chewing tobacco, are addictive and that nicotine is the drug in tobacco that causes addiction. In addition, the report determined that smoking was a major cause of stroke and the third leading cause of death in the United States.

Source: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. National Institute on Drug Abuse. (2002, September 24). NIDA InfoFacts: Cigarettes and Other Nicotine ProductsWashington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office.

Statistics
An estimated 66.5 million Americans reported current use (past month use) of a tobacco product in 2001, a prevalence rate of 29.5 percent for the population aged 12 or older.

Among that same population, 56.3 million (24.9 percent of the total population aged 12 or older) smoked cigarettes, 12.1 million (5.4 percent) smoked cigars, 7.3 million (3.2 percent) used smokeless tobacco, and 2.3 million (1.0 percent) smoked tobacco in pipes (Figure 4.1). Between 2000 and 2001, the percentage reporting past month cigar smoking increased from 4.8 to 5.4 percent, which was similar to the rate reported in 1999 (5.5 percent). There were no other significant changes in the rates of current use of other tobacco products.

Source: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. (2002, September 4). Results from the 2001 National Household Survey on Drug Abuse: Volume I. Summary of National Findings (Office of Applied Studies, NHSDA Series H-17 ed.)  (BKD461, SMA 02-3758)Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office.