SEVEN minutes. That's how much every cigarette reduces a person's life, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in the US. A study conducted by the institute's researchers found that every minute spent in smoking robbed the smoker of one minute of life and it took, on an average, seven minutes to finish one cigarette.
The study found that though the number of smokers had declined substantially, the number of teenage smokers has not declined since 1980 and it is in their teens that people become addicted to tobacco.
The researchers found peer pressure, the adolescents' belief in their own immortality and easy availability of tobacco products are responsible for this trend. Better enforcement of laws barring tobacco sales to minors and prohibition of smoking in schools as well as public areas have been suggested to discourage teenagers.
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