There are a lot of things scientists can connect, and smoking and suicide are apparently two of them.

According to a decade-long research project at MSU, researchers have found a link between smoking and suicidal thoughts and behaviors. During the course of 10 years, 1,000 people were interviewed; 19 people attempted suicide, and 130 people reported suicidal thoughts.

There is a connection between the two; there is no doubt about that. However, before people start worrying about whether their smoker friend is going to do something drastic, it might be helpful to know what causes the link to suicidal thoughts. After all, people have said there's a correlation between compulsive ice chewing and sexual tension, as well, but it is doubtful that a scientific study could convince people of its validity, unless they can produce a cause for the link. The MSU study shows that smokers' suicidal thoughts are not caused by depression, but cannot say what the cause is.

Fortunately, researchers said the next steps are to replicate the study to make sure the results are the same, and then to find what causes the link between smoking and suicide. If the results of that study are conclusive, then more people would undoubtedly be convinced of the connection.

Bath resident Keith Budd, who was quoted in a recent State News article, had a point when he said smoking itself is a suicidal behavior. Maybe by indulging in a habit that is detrimental to one's health, suicidal thoughts become more prevalent.

It has been proven time and time again, by the hundreds of thousands of people who die every year from smoking-related deaths, that smoking kills. Tobacco use is the leading preventable cause of death in the United States, according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

There is no doubt that smoking kills people. It's just not yet certain whether smoking causes people to kill themselves.