I just can't comprehend why teens growing up in this generation would start smoking. I get that the harmful effects of smoking weren't published until the last few decades, so I understand that older generations who didn't have this information started smoking and many are now addicted. I feel there is no reason to start smoking now, its comparable to saying "yes, please do kill me". I know that we as Americans have the right to smoke, but why would one exercise that right when it will eventually kill him? What will it take for teens to see that this habit is lethal? When I say teens, I am using the term loosely. I mean people between the ages of 14-24.
Interestingly enough, the issue of smoking is very different in France. I spent my last summer in France, and for them, smoking is a right. While the law bans smoking in restaurants and businesses, many French will do as they please. Althought smoking in restaurants is illegal, it is considered rude to ask a person to stop smoking at a restaurant.The truth is that there are many French people that smoke, and it was uncommon for a family to be completely smoke-free. America has become very aware of the harmful effects, and there is emphasis placed on finding ways to quit, while in Europe people seem to continue with this hard-to-break habit. What causes this difference? I don't know, but I do know that the dangers of smoking are too much for me... count me out.
