had they not had a connection to get more. The availability of narcotics is one the reasons why we have repeat drug abusers. This is proven with the availability of cigarettes compared to the availability of heroin. Cigarettes contain nicotine, which is a highly addictive substance in tobacco that is poisonous in concentrated amounts. Anyone who is over eighteen can walk into a liquor shop or grocery store and purchase cigarettes. Those who are under the age of eighteen usually have older peers or strangers walking buy a liquor shop who will be asked to purchase cigarettes for them. Over 46 million Americans smoke, approximately 3,000,000 of those are teenagers and children. According to the National Clearing House of Drug and Alcohol, there are 7000 new smokers per day. There is no denying the fact that cigarettes are readily available to virtually anyone. Heroin is an opiod which starts off as opium and is refined many times to become and psychologically. Daily use for only a short time results in addiction. Heroin use is much more serious and deadly than cigarette use. An individual withdrawing from the high from heroin may experience lethargy, hallucination, convulsions that may lead to a shock or coma, and extreme mood swings, which may lead to domestic violence. There are and estimated 600,000 heroin addicts in the United States today. There are also and estimated 286 new heroin users a day. The reason for the significant difference between heroin and cigarette users is due to the fact that heroin is illegal. Heroin, unlike cigarettes is not made readily available. If drugs were legalized and sold under tight controls as Dr. Richard Gilbert suggests, there would be minimum age requirement set, which would most likely to be eighteen or twenty-one. This however will not stop minors for gaining access to heroin or any narcotic for that matter, just as the minimum age requirement doesn"t stop minors from gaining access to cigarettes.