How shocking is it that 18.1% of Americans are smokers? The percentage may not seem very high, but this number is estimated at 42.1 million people (smokers). Statistics show that most smokers start in their early teens. The addictive stimulant, nicotine, makes it difficult to kick the habit. Although many are aware of the dangers and warnings of smoking, they continue to grab a cigarette and take a puff. Cigarettes and all tobacco products should be outlawed because they damage health, create risks for non-smokers and destroy the environment. The dangerous health factors related to cigarettes and tobacco products can easily harm and destroy a person's overall well-being. The National Cancer Institute has recognized that these chemicals, found in cigarettes and tobacco products, are the direct cause of cancer. Tobacco smoke, for example, coexists with 4,000 chemical substances, of which at least 250 are known to be dangerous to health (Stop smoking). Puffing cigarettes abuses almost every organ in the body and causes cancer of the lungs, esophagus, larynx, mouth, kidneys, bladder, etc. (Stop smoking). Even knowing this information, people continue to smoke these cancer sticks. The consequences of smoking have caused approximately 443,000 deaths each year in the United States and this number is increasing day by day (Smoking). Once a person starts smoking a cigarette or tobacco product, the urge to want to quit can be very difficult to manage. The effects of the nicotine contained in the product are highly addictive, as some research has even stated that it could be more addictive than heroin (Why smoking is addictive). The balance of chemicals in the brain is regulated by the effects of nicot... middle of paper... by the Surgeon General. Np: np, 2006. 22-24. Rpt. in Tobacco and smoking. Ed. Susan Hunnicutt. Detroit: Greenhaven, 2009. Opposing Viewpoints. Opposing points of view in context. Network. 18 March 2014."Cigarette butts are toxic waste1." Environmental Impacts of Tobacco Smoking.TobaccoFreeCA, nd Web. March 23, 2014. “Cigarette Waste: Impacts.” Cigarette waste: impacts. Cigarette Butt Litter, n.d. Web.18 March 2014. “Quitting Smoking: Why Quit and How to Get Help.” Np: np, 2007. N. pag. Rpt. in chemical dependency. Ed. Spejo Romano. Detroit: Greenhaven, 2011. Opposing Viewpoints. Opposing points of view in context. Network. March 18, 2014."Smoking." Current Issues: Macmillan Social Science Library. Detroit: Gale, 2010. Page No. Opposing points of view in context. Network. March 18, 2014."Why is smoking addictive?" - Health questions. NHS and Web Choices. 24 March.2014.