Smoking cigarettes has always been a quiet and important activity that many people turn to to reduce stress, lose weight and adapt to a changing social world. Tobacco contains nicotine, a highly addictive ingredient that makes it difficult to quit once a person begins to frequently ingest tobacco (Woolbright 1994, p. 337). However, according to the CDC, smoking causes more than 480,000 deaths each year in the United States, meaning that one in five people die from smoking. A preventable cause of death, smoking kills more people than alcohol use, illegal drug use, traffic accidents, gun-related deaths and the HIV virus combined (Center For Disease Control and Prevention) . Women who smoke face even more health problems that harm not only their own reproductive health but also the mortality and morbidity of their children (American Lung Association). People should not smoke because not only does it cause adverse health effects, but it is not economically beneficial. If people stopped smoking, many lives would be saved, directly and indirectly. People should quit smoking due to the plethora of negative consequences it brings, as it endangers both those who directly smoke cigarettes as well as their family and friends. Smoking not only causes adverse health risks, but also puts a strain on people economically due to high medical costs as well as increased taxes and insurance due to poor health. People, especially women, often start smoking because they believe it will help them lose weight. as well as relieve the stress and anxiety they feel. The tobacco industry targets women in its advertising, presenting smoking as a...... middle of paper ...... smoking ages. Psychological Bulletin, 129(2), 270-304. Prinz, A.L. (2009). The political economy of tobacco regulation and taxation. Public Choice, 141(3/4), 291-303. Tomeo, CA, Field, AE, Berkey, CS, Colditz, GA, & Frazier, AL (1999). Weight problems, weight control behaviors and smoking initiation. Pediatrics, 104(4), 918-924.Warner, K., Hodgson, T., & Carroll, C. (1999). Medical costs of smoking in the United States: Estimates, their validity, and implications. Tobacco Control, 8(3), 290-300. Women and Tobacco Use - American Lung Association. (nd). American Lung Association. Accessed March 19, 2014, from http://www.lung.org/stop-smoking/about-smoking/facts-figures/women-and-tobacco-use.htmlWoolbright, LA (1994). The effects of maternal smoking on infant health. Demographic research and policy review, 13(3), 327-339.