The ongoing decrease in the number of people smoking in California is a major public health achievement. With California adults smoking 25 percent less than the rest of the nation, our state continues to benefit from lower rates of tobacco-related illnesses.

Smoking affects all aspects of health, really, ... People know it harms them, but the harm is not immediate. The nicotine is addictive, but it is all the other chemicals - the umpteen carcinogens which can affect your heart and which can cause cancer, and which can affect pregnancy and your potency and libido - which come into play later on, with prolonged use.

The effects of smoking on human health are enormous; yet, little is known about the pharmacologic effects of smoking on the human body apart from the effects of nicotine.

People under stress often drink more than they otherwise would. It's the same thing for smoking -- people may smoke more, thinking it curbs stress, but it doesn't.

It's easy to quit smoking. I've done it hundreds of times.

Quitting smoking is easy. I've done it a thousand times.