Before the adverse effects of cigarettes smoking became widely known, the cigarette was considered as the quintessential symbol of cool. Consider the well known heroes of Hollywood – John Wayne, Humphrey Bogart, and James Dean – who have quite often been depicted smoking cigarettes or lighting one. In its most basic form, cigarettes are little more than a blend of dried tobacco leaves rolled into a bleached piece of paper, and most commonly finished with a filter on one end. While there are cigarettes on the market that are manufactured without the filter, in the United States these are bought only rarely.

While every consumer is on the hunt for cheap cigarettes, the most commonly smoked brands are Camel cigarettes, Marlboro cigarettes, and Newport cigarettes. While in the past cigarette ads were an integral part of the advertising landscape and the manufacturers of cigarettes sponsored a number of television and radio shows, these days the idea of advertising this consumer good has fallen into disfavor. It is interesting to note that the European Union has actually proclaimed a ban on all kinds of advertising for cigarettes and those sports teams that relied on the tobacco sponsors to bankroll their seasons found them scrambling to make ends meet. Some cleverly continued to wear the colors of their tobacco sponsors but simply omitted the logo or name of the cigarettes.

In all fairness, it does not matter if you are smoking discount cigarettes or the high end brands, cigarette facts that are indisputable point toward the stark reality that cigarette smoking is a major health hazard that claims lives on a daily basis. Lung cancer, heart disease, and esophageal cancer are just a few of the health risks associated with cigarette smoke and daily more ailments are found to be connected to them. Of course, even the knowledge that smoking may be akin to a slow form of suicide does not deter the majority of smokers from seeking out bargains, deals, cigarette coupons and the tax free cigarettes that are available for sale in certain locations.

Because of the addictive nature of tobacco, cigarettes are extremely well regulated to ensure that they do not fall into the hands of minors, yet like most consumer goods that face age restrictions, many children and teens circumvent the age bans and smoke regardless. Frequent police stings are utilized to crack down on vendors who knowingly sell their tobacco wares to minors, but for every sale that is caught, there are countless hundreds that go through without a problem.