Some 80% of daily smokers are men.
Unfortunately, relatively few who become daily smokers in high school succeed in quitting when they finally decide to try.
In 1992 and 1993, the percentage of Americans 18 and under who became daily smokers rose by about 2 percent.
The average smoker begins at age 13 and becomes a daily smoker by 14 1/2.
Some 3,000 kids under age 18 will become daily smokers every day.
In 1974 23% of teenagers described themselves as daily smokers.
In 1988, 700,000 teen-agers under 18 became daily smokers.
Less than a decade later, in 1996, the number of teens who became daily smokers had risen to 1.2 million.
The average teen-ager starts smoking at about 14 and becomes a daily smoker before age 18.
The proportion of daily smokers was 22% in 2008.