Smoking is a hard habit to break because tobacco contains the very addictive chemical nicotine. As with heroin or other addictive drugs, the body and mind quickly get used to the nicotine in cigarettes. Soon, a person needs to have it just to feel normal.

Smoking can lead to a variety of ongoing complications in the body, as well as long-term effects on your body systems.

• Smoking causes cancer, heart disease, stroke, lung diseases, diabetes, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), which includes emphysema and chronic bronchitis.
• Smoking also increases risk for tuberculosis, certain eye diseases, and problems of the immune system, including rheumatoid arthritis.

Secondhand smoke exposure contributes to approximately 41,000 deaths among nonsmoking adults and 400 deaths in infants each year.

• Secondhand smoke causes stroke, lung cancer, and coronary heart disease in adults.
• Children who are exposed to secondhand smoke are at increased risk for sudden infant death syndrome, acute respiratory infections, middle ear disease, more severe asthma, respiratory symptoms, and slowed lung growth.

Quitting can bring immediate health benefits at any age, regardless of how long one has smoked. It is never too late to quit.

Let us spread awareness and let people who are smoking quit their habit. Sign the petition and save lives!