Brief Description
Tobacco use is the leading preventable cause of disease, disability, and death in the United States. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), cigarette smoking results in more than 443,000 premature deaths in the United States each year—about 1 in every 5 U.S. deaths2—and an additional 8.6 million people suffer with a serious illness caused by smoking.3 Thus, for every one person who dies from smoking, 20 more suffer from at least one serious tobacco-related illness.3 Learn more
Statistics and Trends
| Drug |
Time Period |
8th- Graders |
10th- Graders |
12th- Graders |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cigarettes (any use) | Lifetime | [15.5] | [27.7] | 39.5 |
| Past Month | [4.9] | 10.8 | 17.1 | |
| Daily | 1.9 | 5 | 9.3 | |
| 1/2 pack +/day | 0.6 | 1.5 | 4 | |
| Smokeless Tobacco | Lifetime | 8.1 | 15.4 | 17.4 |
| Past Month | 2.8 | 6.4 | 7.9 | |
| Daily | 0.5 | 2 | 3.2 |
* Data in brackets indicate statistically significant change from the previous year.
| Drug |
Time Period |
Ages 12 or Older |
Ages 12-17 |
Ages 18-25 |
Ages 26 or Older |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cigarettes (any use) | Lifetime | [62.8] | [19.1] | 61.0 | [68.6] |
| Past Year | [26.1] | [13.2] | 42.3 | 24.9 | |
| Past Month | [22.1] | 7.8 | 33.5 | 21.9 | |
| Smokeless Tobacco | Lifetime | 18 | 6.8 | 20.4 | 18.9 |
| Past Year | 4.6 | 4.5 | [9.4] | 3.7 | |
| Past Month | 3.2 | 2.1 | [5.4] | 3.0 |
* Data in brackets indicate statistically significant change from the previous year.
Featured Publications
Related Resources
- Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health Study (PATH) - A national longitudinal study of tobacco use and how it affects the health of people in the United States, led by NIDA and the Food and Drug Administration
- Treating Tobacco Use and Dependence Guidelines
- NIDA for Teens: Tobacco Addiction
- Guidance for Parents on Keeping Kids Smoke-Free (Letter from NIDA's former director) (Archives)
- Tobacco Regulatory Science Program (TRSP) (NIH/FDA collaboration)
- Prevent and Reduce Tobacco Use (HHS Secretary)
- Online Guide to Quit Smoking (NCI)
- The Virtual Office of the Surgeon General - Guidelines to Quit Smoking
- Transdisciplinary Tobacco Use Research Centers - NIDA, the National Cancer Institute, and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation: Studying new ways to combat tobacco use
Emerging Trends
Get more information on Emerging Trends, we will update this page with the latest research findings as they develop.
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Other Articles of Interest
Research Report
Tobacco Addiction
Discusses the harmful effects of tobacco use, risks associated with pregnancy and adolescents, as well as best practices for the prevention and treatment of tobacco addiction.
Featured Publication
Drugs, Brains, and Behavior - The Science of Addiction
As a result of scientific research, we know that addiction is a disease that affects both brain and behavior.
