The city had begun a new antismoking effort. A photo, featuring four cheerleaders from California High School in San Ramon at a party, was posted on MySpace, in which the girls were smoking from a hookah. The coach suspended them for two weeks. The girls had already signed a code of conduct that prohibits use of “alcohol, controlled substances, steroids” and tobacco.

“The girls admitted to smoking tobacco. This just holds them and their parents accountable”, said Eileen Mantz, the school’s Athletic Director.

Including 23% of men and 18% of women, 20.6% of adults are smokers. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 443,000 deaths are caused due to cigarette smoking and exposure of second-hand smoking. In the tobacco country of West Virginia, 27% of the adults smoke. In Indiana the rate is extremely high, at 26%.

“I believe in the Christian doctrine of don’t hate the smoker, hate the smoke”, said Dr. Mitch Katz, Director of the San Francisco Department of Public Health.

“You shouldn’t be promoting addiction and death to 7-year-olds. The movies are the largest single reason kids start to smoke”, said Dr. Glantz.

Terry Pechacek, Associate Director of science mentioned that they invest less money in prevention and have fewer checks on smoking in public places.