The average age of first use of tobacco products in 1999 among all persons who ever used in their lifetime was 15.4 for cigarettes, 20.5 for cigars, and 16.7 for smokeless tobacco across all age groups. (Tobacco Use in America: Findings from the 1999 NHSDA)

Each day, nearly 4,800 adolescents (aged 11-17) smoke their first cigarette; of these, nearly 2,000 per day will become regular smokers. That is almost two million annually. It is estimated that at least 4.5 million U.S. adolescents are cigarette smokers. Approximately 90 percent of smokers begin smoking before the age of 21. (American Lung Association)

An estimated 3.2 million people tried their first cigarette in 1997; most of these (2.3 million) new users were age 12 to 17.