Smoking By: Camden

information When being persuaded to start smoking, it’s hard to say no. many reasons to smoking are because of peer pressure, boredom, weight gain and stress from school and family life. Teenage girls smoking usually have started smoking because of peer pressure and wanting to fit in with a crowd which is the same with young teens of years. Most teens who start smoking say that they will stop within 5 years but most are still puffing away after 7 or more years because the nicotine is so addictive. Peer pressure is the influence of members of one’s peer groups. Good peer pressure is about doing something that you didn’t have the courage to do. Good peer pressure is also about doing something that you didn’t want to do but it turned out well. It can also be when your friends convince you not do something that you don’t really like. Peer pressure also helps you overcome fears and can make you take on new challenges. Bad peer pressure can be when your friends say that you should do something that you don’t like. It cans also be the result of wanting to be accepted by your peers. Tobacco companies are promoting cigarettes to children. A couple of years ago, there was a ban on tobacco advertisements and marketing on the TV and Radio. But the tobacco companies have found a way around it! Instead of advertising on the World Wide Media they sell cigarettes tasting like candy and put menthol in them to create a different taste. Menthol is a chemical that is light and watery. They also try to place their tobacco signs within 1,000 ft. from a school if possible. They also have cartoon character which seems quite appealing to teens and kids as the sales for kids and teens rose from 1% to 34%. The cartoon character for the Carmel tasting cigarettes, Joe Camel is even more popular than Mickey Mouse to young kids and toddlers. Smoking is worse than what you think. Almost 70% of adults start to smoke before 18 years old. They usually start between 13 and 17 years old. They also say they will stop, but they can’t because smoking is strongly addictive causing you to feel like you can’t live without tobacco. It takes about 1-2 years for you to get addicted or you could instantly become addicted and never stop. Later on in life they also become open minded to smoking and think it’s an everyday thing you should do. The tobacco companies also try to make smoking cool, fun, attractive and living on the edge. The most common reasons why kids and young teens start to smoke is because their parents smoke, peer pressure, they think it is a way of rebelling and being independent, and they think that everyone else is smoking so they should too and tobacco companies advertising is targeting teens. Bullying is also a major way to become addicted. Sometimes people feel different and want to fit in. Those people can be bullies. That person may be afraid of anyone who is different from her. You can listen at what that person says but you don’t have to always agree. That person is so afraid of getting criticism that they give it first. Deep down, that person may be insecure, but never doubt them. That person may make up rules about how you need to smoke otherwise your stupid or something. If they try to make you smoke or do something you know is wrong just become adverted. But do not bully and say something like “No!!!! Do you know how stupid you are for doing that?” Instead say “No thank you, I feel that smoking is very bad for you and I don’t want to get addicted.” You never know maybe that will change their minds too!

Interesting facts Menthol helps reduce the hardness of the cigarette smoke due to its cooling affects on the mouth and thought. Some cigarettes have more menthol to create a different flavor. Menthol was first put into cigarettes in the 1920s and the 1930s. Menthol in cigarettes became more popular in the 1950s and the 1960s. There is no ban on flavored cigarettes. Over 76% of smokers 12 and over smoke menthol cigarettes. Women are 1.6% more likely to smoke menthol cigarettes then men are. 19.1% of the African Americans smoke menthol cigarettes. It is harder to stop smoking menthol cigarettes because the cigarettes taste better and menthol also is somewhat addicting. Teens who smoke menthols are more likely to become addicted to nicotine than their peers who smoke menthol cigarettes. Teens that smoke menthol cigarettes will need to have another within 1 hour or less. 1 out of five Americans think menthol cigarettes should be banned. If menthol was ban in 2011 studies showed that over 320,000 deaths would be averted by 2050.

Interesting facts * These are the countries that have banned smoking in restaurants and workplaces: Australia, Belgium, Bermuda, Bhutan, British Virgin Islands, Canada, Cuba, Denmark (in April 2007), France, Hong Kong, Iceland (in June 2007), India, Iran, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Malaysia, Montenegro, New Zealand, Norway, Puerto Rico (in March 2007), Singapore, South Africa, Sweden, Uganda, United Kingdom (in April 2007 in Wales and Northern Ireland and July 2007 in England), and Uruguay. Health effects of smoking: Cancers, Straining the heart, heart attacks and stroke, limbs amputated, airways swell up, men who smoke are ten times more likely to die from lung cancer.

Smoking can cause massif heath issues Smoking is highly addictive Smoking can make you feel more calm and relaxed Smoking can also make you feel stressed or crazy Don’t smoke

Trying to smoke Peer pressure Addictiveness Serious medical help Time line to death

links Fact Sheets - American Legacy Foundation