Nicotine, derived from the tobacco plant, has about the same toxicity as cyanide.

Dependence on nicotine happens extremely quickly, with people under the age of 20 being the most susceptible to forming an addiction. The younger someone is when he or she starts smoking, the harder it is to quit.

According to a National Survey of Drug Use & Health, between 1990 and 2001, there was a 14 per cent increase in the rate of smoking initiation among people under the age of 18. One study showed that teens’ brains are more sensitive to the rewarding effects of nicotine than are the brains of older individuals.