Why Smoking Should Be Raised To 21?

In the article it explain how raising taxes on cigarettes will benefits teens in the future: “Studies indicate that 90 percent of smokers start as teens. An estimated 17,000 California kids get hooked on smoking and one-third of them will eventually die from a tobacco-related illness. In every other state that has raised the tobacco tax, smoking rates have gone down among teens” (Western Dental Joins California Health Leaders Supporting Proposition 56). Most people would agree that habits are formed at young age, and we all know that bad habits are hard to quit, specially those that creates addiction such as cigarettes. If the price of cigarettes is raise, teens will not be able to afford them since teens are limited in money which will prevent them from creating that addiction. Also, we will be able to have more control over impulsive teenagers, is not that we are coddling them but rather guide them to do what is right for them and break the cycle of smokers. Furthermore,

Over the last few decades, tobacco and nicotine prevention efforts have risen to an all time high. Prevention efforts focus on education to the public of the negative effects on one’s health when using tobacco and nicotine products, as well as with pleas to healthcare policymakers to increase restrictions on product manufacturing and sales. One policy effort growing in popularity in the United States is called Tobacco 21, which proposes to raise the legal age of purchase for consumers of tobacco and nicotine products to 21 years of age (Farber, Pakhale, & Neptune, 2016). Farber, Pakhale, and Neptune (2016) state that 90% of tobacco and nicotine users begin smoking before the age of 18, with 99% of users starting before the age of 26. Lower smoking cessation rates are associated with earlier ages of initiation and the tobacco industry is known to target youth in advertisement of these products lending to the early age of initiation. The tobacco industry themselves admit that increasing the age allowed for purchase to exclude youth would substantially effect their sales. Tobacco 21 laws also deter adolescents from gaining tobacco or nicotine products from friends 18 to 21 years of age, which is the most likely age group to supply younger teens. With this knowledge, placing tighter restrictions on consumers younger than 21 years of age, using the Tobacco 21 policy, may deter tobacco and nicotine initiation in hopes to prevent individual use at all in the future (Farber

When we come to the reality and try to realize how many 18 years old are really responsible for what they are doing, it is obvious to tell they are not mature enough to separate the good from the bad because they can easily be affected by peer pressure at this age. The majority of smokers regret smoking because they started doing it when they were not responsible enough for what they were doing. If people accept any 18 years old smoker as responsible and is able to decide if the cigarette is good or not, why do we find them regretting after 5 years or more? If we increase the minimum age of smoking cigarette to 21, people at least might know what they are doing because they are mature enough to decide what to do for the rest of their life; 3 years difference between 18 and 21 is a lot to learn from life. As a result we might decrease the number of new smokers because they will have full potential to decide what to do at this age than 18 years old.

According to Joshua Berlinger and Andy Rose, ever since California raised the smoking age to 21 there has been a quarter-million premature deaths and 50,000 fewer deaths from lung cancer. The smoking age should be increased to 21 in all states because it would save many more lives and it would be harder for teens to get tobacco and vapor products.

The people that say smoking shouldn’t be raised to the age of 21 have a main argument of when you turn 18, you should be able to do whatever you want. They also said that even if the smoking age would change,

I think that tobacco should be illegal because teens that age need to keep their focus on school. They need to keep their focus on school because people who didn’t graduate from high school are more likely to be unemployed than people with diplomas. If you don’t go to school you won’t have any money to pay of your house and care for your family. People with high school diplomas make an average of 8,000 more dollars than a high school dropout. Getting through school will affect you for the rest of your life. After school you will need a job that will help you pay for food and clothes which takes me to my next reason why tobacco should be illegal at the age of 18.

Unfortunately, Scullion, Crumbie, Cumming, and Jebb (2013) warn there are always issues with age barriers--forbidden fruit can seem all the more attractive, especially to young people who can become inventive in their ability to access what they should not. Scullion et. al indicated research appears to show that increasing the minimum age for buying tobacco reduces the prevalence of smoking among young people. Sussman and Ping (2009) noted daily cigarette smoking prevalence in the United States increases from approximately four percent among 12-year-olds, 8 percent among 16-year-olds, 12 percent among 18-year-olds, 15 percent among 20-year-olds, and levels of among 26-year-olds at 22 percent. Otten, Van de Ven, Engels, and Van den Eijnden

Smoking is often viewed as a bad thing that definitely affects your health, but some teens believe that when you begin to smoke you become more popular. “90 percent of smokers began before the age 19 and about 30 percent of teen smokers continued smoking and died early from a smoking-related disease. On average, these smokers died 13 to 14 years earlier than nonsmokers” (“11 Facts about Teen Smoking”). The idea of smoking is a very controversial topic in communities and the legal smoking age needs to be raised to an age where smoking won’t affect you in some of the harsh ways it affects teens. Yes, it is obvious that smoking will still affect a person some. The age for buying and using tobacco should be raised to 25.

Smoking is an expensive habit. People who smoke cigarettes can spend as much as $2,500 a year on them. Smokers’ claim that it helps relax them and it releases stress but the negative aspects of smoking outweigh the positive. Smoking is a health hazard for smokers and non-smokers. Smokers should have the right to choose what to do with their own health but they should respect non-smokers. Many people believe that there are good and bad outcomes from smoking. I believe that smoking is bad and that it should be banned.

In many country almost every student that smoked in high school would continue on smoking. For example, In syria they made some studies on high school students and the prevalence of current smoking. They found out that in 10th grade the prevalence of smoking is 10.5% , unlike 12th grade which is 22.6%. This shows how this time interval was a big difference , that helps to say that anti smoking programs should be applied in high schools, and from the first year.

The author Rachel Kranz in “Straight Talk About Smoking,’ states, “Smoking more means that Lynette has less to spend on pizza and after-school snacks, because she’s got to make sure she can afford three or four packs of cigarettes each week.” (Kranz). Peer pressure to smoke can also be a way of teenagers proving that they are mature. Maturity is something that all teenagers have been told to obtain; especially by adults. The legal smoking age in most states is twenty-one, and most adults do smoke. Teenagers think that they can feel more grown up when they smoke and fit in society. Kaz Vorpal in the book of “Teen Smoking,’” states, “Adults do certain things, and therefore children who do those things feel they are more like grownups.” (Vorpal 66). Movies also contributes to teen smoking by portraying smoking as a cool, pleasurable, and harmless thing. All these factors give the teen a pressure to start smoking and never realize that the Nicotine that is found in the cigarette is addictive and causes major health problems like cancer.

Smoking is an expensive habit. Smokers’ claim that it helps relax them and relieves stress but there are more negative effects of smoking outweigh the positive effects. Smoking is a health hazard not only for smokers but also for non-smokers. Smokers have the right to choose what to do with their own body and wellbeing but they should respect non-smokers choice to not be subjected to the smoke. Many people believe that there are good and bad outcomes from smoking. I believe that smoking should be banned because of its effect on one’s health, the effect of secondhand smoke, and the hypocrisy of smoking parents encouraging their children to not smoke in their lifetime.

Smoking is a very serious health concern. Smoking is linked to many deaths and diseases. I know firsthand how true that statement is. I had a grandmother who passed away at the tender age of fifty-two, due to smoking. She started smoking when she was nineteen. Back in those days, the effects of smoking were not well known, and by the time they were, she was already addicted. For years she suffered from emphysema; a lung condition that causes shortness of breath. Then in January 2013 she found out she had stage three lung cancer. Despite the devastating news, she continued to smoke. Within six months the cancer had spread to her brain and she died. Because of her dangerous addiction to smoking; she left behind four grandchildren and eight great grandchildren.

One of the most contentious debates in the United States relates to the topic of smoking. Some argue that smoking has risen to the level of a public health crisis, and cite some very distributing statistics in order to support those claims. For example, the Centers for Disease Control (2015) estimates that 6 million Americans die each year from tobacco, and the direct medical costs associated with treating smokers tops 150 billion dollars annually. These facts have motivated many public policy makers to consider new ways to deter Americans from smoking, including heavily taxing tobacco products, as well as considering an outright ban on smoking. This paper will argue that banning smoking would not be effective, and that continuing to tax tobacco products offers the most positive outcomes for all stakeholders.

With an opening quote enough to catch anyone’s eye saying "Smoking is the chief preventable cause of premature death in this country." Smoking cigarettes has become a “trend,” so to speak. As everyone may know several teenagers who are in their last year of high school when they pick up this habit legally. Although there is no escape from the so-called “cancer stick” these days, and anyone can get their hands on it regardless of their age, the minimum age requirement for smoking cigarettes should still be changed to 21. In trying to get rid is stress a great number of kids considered adults are putting one foot in the grave by putting “cancer sticks” to their lips.