Smoking is a huge problem in today's youth culture. Despite constant warnings about how dangerous smoking is, young people continue to pick up the habit. Even though it is illegal for people under the age of 18 to smoke, most tobacco companies target advertising at people under 18, with the logic that if they can get them hooked young, they will have customers for life. Sick, isn't it? Candy-flavored cigarettes and ads depicting young, beautiful people are just some of the ploys used to target teens. In Texas alone, tobacco companies spend 979 million dollars on advertising that is targeted, for the most part, at young people. With that much money, you could buy all of the advertising time at the 2005 Superbowl almost six times.
It is common knowledge that cigarettes containg the addictive agent nicotine, but did you know that they also contain things like arsenic, formaldehyde (yes, the stuff the animals you disect in science are packaged in) and rat poison?
The Food and Drug Administration has regulatory powers over products like lipstick and dog food, but does not have such power over cigarettes. There is a Bill currently in both the Senate (S. 666) and the House (H.R. 1376) that would allow the FDA to have such powers, and would also curb tobacco advertising aimed at children.
Write your Representatives and Senators. This one's important.
People are going to smoke. At least when they are smoking they aren' t hurthing anyone but themselves. Everyone is going to die one day and you may as well let them smoke. If you are worried about cancer you get it from a tanning bed to or to much soon or even drinking. In fact i think that is what people need to preach on, drinking. Start preaching at the drunk drivers that tried to run someone off the road or talk to the man that killed his girlfriend because he was driving drunk. Alcool kills so many more people but everyone is going to fuss about us smokers.
Better check your numbers crystal. Tobacco is a bigger killer than booze. Booze has a bad effect on folks alright, no argument there, but minimizing the danger of smoking will not keep it from killing you. It's like a retrovirus, in that it does not kill you right away, but once the symptoms appear, it is a real battle to recover your health.
1200 people die everyday from the direct influences of tobacco (aka, not including second hand smoke)
"You must be the change you want to see in the world"
- Mahatma Ghandi
I hate when people smoke near me. Secondhand smoke is worse than firsthand smoke and it's just really offensive when people don't have the courtesy to move away from people when they go to smoke. If they want to kill their lungs and bodies - fine, but I'm not going to let them kill mine too.
I beleive that a lot of people do it because nicotine seems to have a calming affect. I am not sure if it really does, or if that is a myth, but I know that is why a lot of my friendds smoke sometimes before big tests etc... They are not addicted, and they probably only smoke a pack every two months or so. Besides, I remember someone telling that as long as you stop smoking before the age of like 35 your lungs can recover, but I do not like to spread second-hand information as truth, so just take that part of my comment for what it is.
You can recover somewhat if you stop smoking by age 35, but you may not necessarily be able to quit by that time. And major damage is already done before you even turn 35.
really, your lungs are screwed if you smoke for more than 5 years.
because big tobacco targets kids under 18, they'll be smoking a hell of a lot longer than 5 years if they buy this 'quit by the time you're 35.'
and, if you look at it as 'everyone has to die somehow, why not smoke?' that's kind of like saying, 'i don't really want to live as long as i could so i'm going to kill myself.' are you for suicide and euthanasia? i don't want to turn this into a right to die argument, but i think it deserves attention. smoking can kill you just as easily as anything else.
It's ridiculous that in an age where we don't stand in front of the microwave because of the radiation, we still smoke. I realize that nicotine is addictive. However, there's a difference between addiction and apathy. That's why I'm glad you're focusing on the companies that market these cancer sticks who just don't care enough to alter what sells.
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