emember when it was actually considered cool to smoke? Times sure have changed.   If we look back to earlier times in movie-making history, smokers were everywhere on screen. Think back for a second and picture an old-time movie star in your head - say, Humphrey Bogart or James
Dean - and invariably, you'll see him puffing away. What you didn't see was that Bogart, a heavy smoker off-screen, eventually died of throat cancer.   And in some of those movies, smoking was a central part of the personality of the character. Bogart's Sam Spade in The Maltese Falcon was a chain-smoker, using the cigarette almost as a prop.   Things began to change, though, once word began to spread about the lethal nature of cigarettes. The moniker "cancer stick" became synonymous with smoking, and the appeal of lighting up began to fade. What was once cool has become an activity that can lead to social ostracism.

The 1999 movie The Insider took on the tobacco industry and told the truth about the health hazards created by smoking. Celebrities have now gotten into the act as well. Everyone from supermodel Christy Turlington to pop singer Shawn Mullins have spoken out about the harmful nature of cigarettes. Pierce Brosnan, who posed for a British cigarette ad several years ago, has since spoken out against smoking and has vowed that James Bond will no longer smoke as long as he is playing the character. Law & Order star S. Epatha Merkerson, a former smoker, is the spokesperson for the Campaign for Tobocco-Free Kids, an organization dedicated to de-glamorizing cigarette use.   Although lighting up on screen may not be what it used to be, after a dip in on-screen smoking, cigarettes are once again making a few too many appearances. Anti-smoking advocates feel that this is one trend that needs to be quickly nipped in the butt. - Dave Nusair Statistics courtesy of Health Canada. For more information visit www.infotobacco.com

Since 1981, all age groups have experienced a decline in smoking Smoking by teens is down 43% since 1981, up 21% since 1990, but appears to have reached a plateau at around 28% since 1994 One quarter of daily smokers are highly dependant, having their first cigarette within five minutes of waking Smoking is most common among those with less than high school education Smoking in Newfoundland, Quebec and Nova Scotia is more prevalent than elsewhere in the country Studies have shown that cigarettes can be harder to quit than heroin or cocaine