One of the biggest and most challenging health concerns today is tobacco smoking. The practice of smoking cigarettes has been around for ages, and it is the leading cause of preventable death in America. Today, more than 600,000 middle school students and approximately 3 million high school learners smoke tobacco in the United States. In the last decade, the decline in the number of cigarette smokers has slowed down. In the United States of America, more than 1,200 people die due to smoking daily. Every day, about two youths in the country also become regular users of cigarettes, and 90% of the new smokers started the habit by age 18 (Soulakova et al., 2018). In America, almost no one starts smoking after the age of 25. Preventing tobacco use among American youths is an important step towards saving their lives because it causes both short and long-term damage. Tobacco smoking leads to nicotine addiction, cardiovascular complications and increases the chances of developing cancer.
One reason tobacco smoking should be illegal is nicotine, which is an addictive, harmful substance in cigarettes. Many people, including youth, smoke cigarettes, and within a short period, they become addicted and cannot shake off the habit anymore. Apart from the addictive nature, nicotine has a substantial psychological connection with the user and can cause a relapse when an individual quits smoking. In small doses, nicotine is a poison, and exposure to it among the youths is of great concern. An adolescent's brain is still developing, and nicotine affects its reward system and regions involved in emotional and cognitive functions (Smith et al., 2015). Cigarette smoking can be of benefit because it helps alleviate some mental illnesses such as anxiety and Schizophrenia among the youths (Russo, 2011). However, research indicates that nicotine changes the brain's normal functioning among the adolescent perpetuating continued use of tobacco and other substance abuse into their adulthood. Cigarette smoking cessation among the youths is a critical move towards saving them from nicotine addiction that affects their normal cognitive and emotional development and increased use of drugs later in their lives.
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In the United States, cardiovascular diseases are the leading cause of death among cigarette smokers and another 30% of heart disease-related complications. Every year, approximately 160,600 people die in the United States due to cardiovascular complications, where 100,000 out of the total deaths occur due to coronary heart disease (Krist et al., 2021). Due to tobacco smoking among the youths, developing early cardiovascular is possible causing death to many young individuals in America. Some people may argue that smoking plays a critical role in managing weight by reducing appetite and acting as an effective measure of reducing weight (Harris et al., 2016). But it causes severe and irreversible damage to the cardiovascular system and reduces lung function and its growth among young individuals. Cigarette smoking among the youths can cause shortness of breath and affect lung development, ending resulting in underdeveloped lungs during adulthood. Smoking among teens also damages the heart and blood vessels increasing the risk of developing atherosclerosis and heart diseases (American Cancer Society, 2020). Developing different health complications due to tobacco smoking at a tender age affects the youths' everyday life in America because they will spend most of their time seeking medication rather than engaging in useful activities such as education. The move to prevent smoking among the youths is essential since it helps them avoiding health complications associated with cigarettes. By encouraging youths to stop avoid smoking, they are likely to live a healthy life free of substance abuse in their adulthood.
During childhood and adolescence, smoking cigarettes cause significant health complications and exposure to high chances of developing cancer. Tobacco smoking is one of the leading causes of respiratory cancer, and it is linked to 80% to 90% of lung cancer deaths in the United States of America (CDC, 2020). The smoke from tobacco contains over 7,000 chemicals, and out of these, about 70 are carcinogenic. When a person inhales these chemicals, it enters into the lungs and spread through the body through blood circulatory and lymph system. When in various parts of the body, the chemicals interrupt cells' normal growth, causing them to multiply too fast and develop abnormally, leading to cancer cells. When individuals are exposed to secondhand smoke, they are likely to develop lung and other cancer around different parts of the body. People who smoke cigarettes are 15 to 30 times to get or die from lung cancer compared to non-smokers. Teenagers who smoke tobacco are at higher risk of developing lung cancer because their lungs are still growing and can quickly mutate after exposing them to carcinogenic tobacco chemicals (CDC, 2020). Stopping cigarette smoking at an early age is critical because it lowers the risk of developing lung cancer compared to when a person quits it at a later age. Apart from causing lung cancer, cigarette smoking increases the chances of an individual developing other cancerous complications anywhere in the body. Research indicates that smoking cigarettes can cause cancer of the mouth, stomach, colon, throat, larynx, esophagus, and acute myeloid leukemia. Living around people who smoke also exposes secondhand smokers to risks of developing smoking cancer-related complications. Youths are likely to smoke when around with their friends, exposing some of them who do not smoke to various health complications. Preventing tobacco use among teens is a vital step towards reducing their chances of developing lung cancer. Stopping smoking also helps the individual from developing cancer for different parts of the body and minimizes the cases of secondhand smokers who are exposed to the same risks as firsthand smokers.
Smoking is the leading cause of preventable diseases in America, where over 1,200 people die every day due to tobacco smoking-related complications. About two American youths become regular cigarette smokers every day. Tobacco smoking among teens causes detrimental effects such as nicotine addiction, cardiovascular issues, and increased chances of developing different body cancers. Nicotine addiction is a problem because it makes people depend on cigarettes and can cause relapse when one quits smoking. Among the youths, smoking tobacco causes significant damage to the developing brain, interfering with their emotional and cognitive functions. Teenagers who smoke tobacco have higher chances of developing cardiovascular complications. Over 160,000 people die in America every year due to smoking-related cardiovascular complications. Smoking affects normal lung development among the youths resulting in underdeveloped lungs when an individual reaches adulthood. Cigarette smoking also damages the heart and blood vessels increases the chances of developing heart attack and atherosclerosis. Tobacco smoking is a predisposing factor to different types of cancer in the human body. Cigarette smoking releases thousands of chemicals where some are carcinogenic and increase the chances of smokers developing cancers. Secondhand smokers are also at risk of developing such health complications after inhaling fumes from firsthand smokers. Preventing tobacco use among the youths is essential because it helps them avoid nicotine addiction, cardiovascular issues, and high chances of developing cancer.
References
CDC. (2020, September 22). Risk Factors for Lung Cancer . Retrieved from Lung Cancer: https://www.cdc.gov/cancer/lung/basic_info/risk_factors.htm
Harris, K. K., Zopey, M., & Friedman, T. C. (2016). Metabolic effects of smoking cessation. Nature Reviews Endocrinology, 12(5) , 299-308.
Krist, A. H., Davidson, K. W., & Mangione, C. M. (2021). Interventions for tobacco smoking cessation in adults, including pregnant persons: US Preventive Services Task Force recommendation statement. JAMA, 325(3) , 265-279.
Smith, R. F., McDonald, C. G., & Bergstrom, H. C. (2015). Adolescent nicotine induces persisting changes in development of neural connectivity. Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews, 55 , 432-443.
Society, A. C. (2020, October 28). American Cancer Society . Retrieved from Health Risks of Smoking Tobacco: https://www.cancer.org/healthy/stay-away-from-tobacco/health-risks-of-tobacco/health-risks-of-smoking-tobacco.html
Soulakova, J. N., Pham, T., & Owens, V. L. (2018). Prevalence and factors associated with use of hookah tobacco among young adults in the US. Addictive behaviors, 85 , 21-25.
