Tobacco (nicotine) can have serious impacts on youth health

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), tobacco use is the leading preventable cause of disease, disability, and death in the U.S. Cigarette smoking results in more than 443,000 premature deaths, while an additional 8.6 million people suffer with a serious illness caused by smoking. On average, adults who smoke die 14 years earlier than nonsmokers.

Exposure to secondhand smoke can cause serious diseases and death. An estimated 126 million Americans are exposed to secondhand smoke each year and almost 50 thousand nonsmokers die from diseases caused by secondhand smoke exposure.

Cigarettes and other forms of tobacco (including cigars, pipe tobacco, snuff, and chewing tobacco) contain the addictive drug nicotine. Nicotine is readily absorbed into the bloodstream when a tobacco product is chewed, inhaled, or smoked. Adolescents are especially susceptible to the addictive nature of nicotine as the adolescent brain is still developing. According to the 2012 Surgeon General’s Report “Preventing Tobacco Use Among Youth and Young Adults“:

• Use of multiple tobacco products—including cigarettes, cigars, and smokeless tobacco—is common among young people.

• The younger children are when they start using tobacco, the more likely they’ll be addicted.

• Adolescents and young adults are uniquely susceptible to social and environmental influences to use tobacco.

• Among adults who become daily smokers, nearly all first used cigarettes as adolescents.

• Smoking during adolescence leads to reduced lung function and impaired lung growth.

• Young people want to fit in with their peers. Images in tobacco marketing make tobacco use look appealing to this age group.

• Smoking during adolescence may contribute to future use of marijuana and other illicit drugs.

Cigarettes and chewing tobacco are illegal substances in Hudson for anyone under 21. For more information visit Know the Rules/Know the Law section under the Resources page.

For information on how to quit smoking, please visit smokefree.gov or teen.smokefree.gov. 

What are e-Cigarettes?

Electronic cigarettes (i.e., e-cigarettes or electronic nicotine delivery systems) are battery-operated devices designed to deliver nicotine with flavorings and other chemicals in vapor instead of smoke. While e-cigarettes are often promoted as safer alternatives to traditional cigarettes, not much is known about the health risks associated with e-cigarette use. Similar to cigarettes and other forms of tobacco (including cigars, pipe tobacco, snuff, and chewing tobacco), e-cigarettes contain the addictive drug nicotine. Nicotine is readily absorbed into the bloodstream when a tobacco product is chewed, inhaled, or smoked. Adolescents are especially susceptible to the addictive nature of nicotine as the adolescent brain is still developing.

The sale of nicotine delivery devices, including electronic cigarettes, to youth under the age of 21 is prohibited in Hudson, MA. For more information check out our section on Hudson's local regulations.