Danny HarrisHonors English 1 Smoking and TobaccoSmoking and Tobacco in general is one of the major issues in our country. Smoking is not something people should be doing. It is costly, not only, because of the financial impact of purchasing a cigarette, but also by the health care costs it causes by all the damage it does to a person’s body. The addiction to smoking and tobacco is very dangerous, not only to the person using it, but to others who don’t even smoke.
Second hand smoke is much more serious than most people understand. The cost, the addictive nature, and the harmful effects of secondhand smoke are a big part of the problem and the reason smoking and tobacco should be illegal. The first reason smoking and tobacco should be illegal is, because of the cost. “Smoking can burn up as much as $2 million in a lifetime. Smoking costs the average smoker at least $1.
1 million over a lifetime”(Tuttle). This shows that smoking seems harmless to some people and also may seem like it will only be a “one time thing,” which is completely not true because of how much the average smoker spends in a lifetime on cigarettes. Not only does the cigarettes cost a lot by themselves, but also the health care aspect of it. According to the American Lung Association, “Tobacco kills nearly half a million Americans annually and costs the nation $333 billion per year in health-care expenses and lost productivity to boot”(Tuttle). This demonstrates that smoking causes damage to a person’s lungs and causes cancer, so health care prices rise dramatically when you start smoking. Researchers have concluded, “Smoking accounts for 8.7 percent of annual healthcare spending in the U.
S”( Pechacek). That is saying if we eliminate tobacco and smoking then that number would plummet. As a result… Cigarettes are designed to be addictive in a nature. Addiction means that it is easy to get into and almost impossible to escape. This is a trap.
There are approximately 50 million people in America that are addicted to nicotine. “Cigarettes contain nicotine, a highly addictive substance found naturally in tobacco. It travels quickly to the brain when it is inhaled and can cause a feeling of temporary relaxation and/or stress relief. Nicotine can also elevate your mood and your heart rate.” (American Heart Association) This shows why people can’t just have one cigarette, it’s the nicotine that keeps them wanting more. It’s almost like a chip you can’t just have one they’re designed to make you want more and more till the whole bag is gone. Nicotine isn’t harmless either though.
“Cigarette smoking accounts for more deaths each year than deaths from murder, car accidents, alcohol or drug use, suicides, and also HIV’s.” This shows how deadly nicotine can actually be, it can suck you in till you can’t live without it therefore you smoke more and more cigarettes till your body can’t take anymore. Last and definitely not least second hand smoke. Don’t be fooled second hand smoke doesn’t only smell horrible but also can be horrible for your body even if you have never smoked in your life. “Secondhand smoke causes more than 7,300 lung cancer deaths among U.S.
non smokers each year. Nonsmokers who are exposed to secondhand smoke are inhaling many of the same cancer-causing substances and poisons as smokers. Even brief secondhand smoke exposure can damage cells in ways that set the cancer process in motion.
”(Healthy Living) This illustrates that by not being careful of your surroundings can actually end up killing you. l Some people would say that smoking should be legal and tobacco as well. They say that it is the their fault if they decide to smoke and they are only endangering their own health. It’s basically saying that adults can make their own decisions instead of having to be parented by the law. This is inadequate because smoking and tobacco have been proven to be deadly. Not only have they been proven deadly but it can affect the people around them such as second hand smoke. Smoking and tobacco should be illegal because, the price to smoke is not worth it. The addiction dangers are deadly, and second hand smoke is not something to take lightly.
This matters to all teens because temptation is something we are all vulnerable to. Remember it’s better to just never start.
