Health Effects of Smoking.

The subject of smoking has blackened innumerable pages since the first reports of adverse health effects appeared fifty-some years ago. Public health campaigns, scientific research, the anti-tobacco lobby, and cigarette company trials have all contributed to bring about such a change in the public conscience as would have been unimaginable half a century ago. In 1965, almost half of all American adults were cigarette smokers. By 1985, the proportion of adult smokers had fallen to about 30%. In the late nineties, California introduced anti-smoking legislation, and many other places followed suit. In 2003, New York City banned smoking in bars and restaurants. But according to the CDC, more than 20% of the US adult population still smokes. What exactly are the health risks that these 47 million Americans tacitly accept by continuing to smoke? This is the key question. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]