Editorial: Tobacco Still Leading Preventable Cause of Death

“Tobacco remains, by far, the single leading preventable cause of death in the United States and the world" said Tom Frieden, MD, MPH, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

According to the latest surgeon general's report, smoking has killed more than 20 million people since the first report was issued. Two and a half million of those people were nonsmokers who died from breathing secondhand smoke.

"We're still a country very much addicted to tobacco," said U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius at an event announcing the release of "The Health Consequences of Smoking — 50 Years of Progress," held Jan. 17 at the White House. "It has serious ramifications for our families, our communities, our overall health and our economy. (But) there are things each of us can do in our own communities that make a significant contribution to ending this epidemic… Most of the people who die from smoking began smoking when they were kids," she said, adding that about 3,000 kids try cigarettes every day, and of those, about 1,000 become smokers. "If we fail to reverse this trend, 5.6 million American children who are alive today will die prematurely," she said.

Smoking has been found to be a cause of a myriad of adverse health events, including diabetes, multiple types of cancer, erectile dysfunction and poor responses to medical treatment. Tobacco wins the dubious distinction of the worst effect on human health than any other such habit.

To make matters worse, tobacco companies have changed cigarettes to make them even more addictive and attractive to children. According to a report by the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, changes in design and more chemical additions are luring more young people into tobacco addiction.

What is the responsibility of the addiction professional regarding tobacco? Sound off in the comments below.