International Pipe Day - Smoking Pipes on U.S. College Campuses..

February 22, 2009 - Last Friday, February 20, 2009 was International Pipe Day....

No one tracks how many young men and women are pipe smokers. But sales of pipe tobacco are rising again after years of decline, and many think young smokers are the reason. U.S. sales of pipe tobacco plummeted to 4.9 million pounds in 2006, from 52 million pounds in 1970, says Norman Sharp, president of the Cigar Association of America. Sales climbed to 5.3 million pounds in 2008.

Health advocates warn of oral cancer, mouth lesions and rotting teeth may result from pipe smoking. Researchers from the American Cancer Society have found that pipe smoking may be just as harmful as cigar smoking.

Reference: The Latest Thing They're Smoking in Pipes on College Campuses: Tobacco by MARY PILON, The Wall Street Journal, 2/20/2009.