Washington — Tobacco became a leading killer of women in just two generations, said a government report released Tuesday as President Bush's health secretary endorsed federal regulation of tobacco if Congress gives him the power to do so.
"Speaking only for myself, I think tobacco should be regulated," Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson told reporters. "It's up to Congress to pass legislation."
Women now account for 39 percent of the nation's 400,000-plus smoking-related deaths each year, a proportion that has more than doubled since 1965 giving new meaning to that old cigarette ad "You've come a long way, baby."
One woman dies from smoking every 3 1/2 minutes. Yet women may not fully realize the threat: Lung cancer caused by smoking is now the top female cancer killer, claiming 27,000 more women's lives each year than the breast cancer that women dread so much, Surgeon General David Satcher said. About one in five women smokes, a rate that hasn't changed much in a decade. Worse, more teen-age girls 30 percent are smoking now than 10 years ago.
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