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Recent figures show that California’s LGBT community has a smoking rate of 30.4 percent—which is nearly double that of the general population at 15.4 percent. LGBT individuals age 18 to 24 smoke the most, with a rate 2.5 times higher than this age group overall, 43.7 percent compared to 16.6 percent.
Cigarette smoking is the leading cause of preventable death—greater than HIV, illegal drug and alcohol use, auto accidents, suicides and murders combined. Smoking increases the risk for several types of cancer, including lip, larynx and oral cancers and cancers of the lung, pancreas, bladder, kidneys and cervix. Smokers are also two to four times more apt to develop heart disease, twice as likely to have a stroke and 10 times as prone to peripheral vascular disease, or narrowing of blood vessels in the legs, stomach, arms and kidneys.
Cigarette smoking can also negatively impact the body’s ability to fight infection and repair tissue, which can heighten the risk of complications following surgery. Because smoking causes reduced circulation, it has been linked to erectile dysfunction in men. For women, research has associated cigarette smoke with breast cancer and lower bone density.
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