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A whopping 44% of all cigarettes in the US are smoked by people with a diagnosed mental illness. That number comes from "Smoking and Mental Illness" by Karen Lasser, MD et al; JAMA Vol. 284 No. 20.

And the number is probably even higher today. More and more people quit smoking, since it is no longer socially acceptable. Currently only 20% of US adults smoke, down from about 50% in the 50s and 60s.

People who have mental illnesses smoke at a rate of 50 to 80 percent, compared with less than 20 percent of the general population. These high-risk people also smoke many more cigarettes a day than a regular smoker -- often three packs. Furthermore, smokers with mental illness are much more likely to smoke their cigarettes right down to the filters.

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