Currently, there is no FDA-approved screening test for lung cancer. About 85% of lung cancer cases are diagnosed in later stages of the disease. If detected early, research shows that 5-year survival rates could reach 80%. Tobacco addiction is the leading cause of lung cancer. Over 50% of people diagnosed with lung cancer are former smokers or people who have never smoked. Tobacco and secondhand smoke are known to cause a number of diseases as well as aggravating other existing lung diseases such as asthma or emphysema. Every day, 65 children in Washington state become smokers. Their average age is twelve years old. Approximately 24% of Washington adults smoke.

The Good News

Tobacco prevention and control programs work. In Washington State, there has been an eight percent reduction in people who smoke over the past two years. That means since 1999, Washington now has 83,000 fewer adults who smoke. This is expected to save the state $134 million in future medical costs. State Health Officials believe a myriad of anti-smoking efforts from anti-tobacco billboards and the 1-877-270-7867 state quitline and the new tobacco tax may have contributed to this decline. Research shows every 10 percent increase in the tobacco tax leads to a four percent drop in adult smoking and seven percent drop in youth smoking. While we are seeing a decline among adults who smoke we expect to have many cancers appear over the next several decades due to the long period of time in which cancer can be dormant in the body before it develops into a life-threatening disease.

Q: Why don't they tell you what's in a cigarette?
A: There are over 40 distinctive cancer-causing chemicals in cigarettes

The Bad News

New research shows girls get addicted quicker than boys and most young people who start smoking are hooked for life before their 18th birthday.
The tobacco industry aggressively markets their products, and tobacco is the only retail product not required by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to list ingredients on its packaging. These ingredients include over 40 distinctive cancer-causing agents, including arsenic, benzene and ammonia. The cigarette is the only legally available product in the U.S. that when "used as directed" will kill the user and injure others.

Big Tobacco spends $100 million a year in Washington enticing our youth to start smoking.

• Secondhand smoke kills more than 3,000 people a year.
• Every day, 65 children in Washington state become smokers.
• Teenage girls are getting hooked on cigarettes within 21 days.
• Nicotine makes cigarettes as addicting as heroin or cocaine.
• Big Tobacco adds licorice and honey to sweeten the flavor of cigarettes.