Women and Smoking

The number of smoking-related deaths among women has doubled since 1965, according to the March 2001 report released by Surgeon General David Satcher. Since tobacco companies have increased marketing to females, fewer women quit and smoking rates among teenage girls have risen. Women smokers face an increased likelihood of lung cancer, cardiovascular disease, and reproductive health problems, representing 39 percent of all smoking-related deaths each year in the United States.