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David Pareja

Mr. Raczynski

AP Language

January 9th, 2017

Change: Should smoking become illegal?

Gail Sheehy once said, If we dont change, we dont grow. If we dont grow, we arent

really living. If people dont change their habits of smoking, it hinders them from growing. No

growth equals not living. The long run effects smoking has can lead them to death. What are

those effects? The evidence is within the following paragraphs, as well as the reasons why

smoking should become illegal.

The number one harm smoking has is on an individuals health. The damage is done to

several organs of the body, but the main damage happens to the lungs. The lungs are which

causes you to breath, working hand-in-hand with the heart, (second most damaged organ.) There

are serious diseases caused by smoking, lung cancer being number one. The American Lung

Association says cigarette smoking is responsible for 87 percent of lung cancer deaths. The

chances of still being alive five years after being diagnosed is less than 1 in 5. Other diseases
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include COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease), heart disease, gum disease, other types

of cancer, strokes, asthma and cataracts.

The effects of smoking take more of a toll on women. Smoking can lead to infertility,

making it difficult for the woman to get pregnant. If the woman is ignorant enough to smoke

while pregnant, the woman can have an ectopic pregnancy. The baby can arrive pre-maturely,

have a low birth weight, and birth defects. This increases the health risks of not only the baby,

but the mother.

If internal damage wasnt bad enough, smoking causes external damage too. The tobacco

from the cigarettes causes tooth discoloration, making them yellow. Teeth gets built up with

plaque and tartar. Other oral issues include leukoplakia - white patches in mouth- bad breath,

tooth loss (dental implants), and even bone loss within the jaw. Aside from dental issues,

smoking causes the skin to sag, creating excessive wrinkles making the person look way older

than they really are. Lastly the odor from cigarettes stay on your clothes, who wants to be around

that? Sure some body spray can be sprayed on, but most likely only woman carry that around.

Men would be out of luck.

Smoking doesnt just harm the individual themself, but it can harm the people around

them too. Its called secondhand smoking. Secondhand smoke is dangerous to anyone who

breathes it in. No amount of secondhand smoke is safe. Cigarettes are made with over 7,000

harmful chemicals. Secondhand smoke is especially dangeroud to babies, children and pregnant
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woman. Even after somebody smokes, the smoke is able to stay in the air for several hours. To

even breath the secondhand smoke for just a short amount of time can hurt the body. Being

around smokers for a long period of time can eventually cause the same health issues, but not as

severe. Other ways secondhand smoke can harm the body include weak lungs, asthma, sudden

infant death syndrome, and chronic coughing. Theres no way to protect the youngings from that

but to not smoke indoors, but sometimes the weather isnt always in ones favor to smoke

outdoors.

When adults, such as parents, smoke around their children or other delinquents it can give

them the idea to start smoking too. They are most likely prone to doing it when they grow older.

Kids always want to do what they see grown ups doing. Monkey see, monkey do as they say. A

study done by Karl Hill shows that twelve-year-olds whose parents smoked were more than two

times as likely to begin smoking cigarettes on a daily basis between the ages of 13 and 21 than

were children whose parents didnt use tobacco. Hill also claims that other factors that

influenced whether or not adolescents began daily smoking, were consistent family monitoring

and rules, family bonding or a strong emotional attachment inside the family, and parents not

involving children in their own smoking behavior. Activities as asking their children to get a

pack of cigarettes from the car or having them light a cigarette for their parent leaves them

vulnerable in a sense. Its as if that was their norm. The youth dont know any better, but an adult

should. The older generation shoud set a good example for the generation to come. Given the
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information, how could people be so careless? and cause such harm to not only the youth, but

people of all ages. Its bad enough they have to witness it from school or work when theyre

teenagers. It doesnt take articles and the internet to know that smoking is bad. Its not rocket

science. No one should have to suffer through that. Not even the smoker themself.

Its addictive, as any other stimulant drug is. The nicotine makes it hard for people to let

go when theyve done it for many months or years. It can take even just a couple days to become

addicted. Scientists from London even suggest that it could take as little as just one cigarette.

Reports done by the British Medical Association journal , Tobacco Control, researched and

found that several 12- and 13-year-olds showed evidence of addiction within a few days of their

first cigarette. Its crazy to believe that 12 year olds are beginning to smoke. Scientists at the

University of Massachusetts in 1998 conducted a study. Experts followed 681 teenagers aged 12

and 13 from seven schools incentral Massachusetts for a year and tracked their smoking habits.

There was a total of 95 teens that said they had started smoking occasionally - at least one

cigarette a month - during the study. The scientists found that 63 percent of them had one or

more symptoms of addiction. A quarter of those with symptoms got them within two weeks of

starting to smoke and several said their symptoms began within a few days. Sixty-two percent

said they had their first symptom before they began smoking every day. Dr. Joseph DiFranza,

who led the research team, states, "The really important implication of this study is that we have

to warn kids that you can't just fool around with cigarettes or experiment with them for a few
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weeks and then give them up. Fooling around with cigarettes for only a few weeks can make a

person addicted for life.

Nicotine addiction truly is an addiction. It shouldnt just be pushed to the side as a simple

habit as if it only requires willpower to overcome. The addiction is hard to bare, actually quite

dangerous. In fact, scientists find that nicotine addiction and withdrawal is just as bad, or even

worse, than addictions to cocaine and heroin. Although these substances may cause a more

intense high than nicotine, the addiction itself is equally as strong. Its sad to see how the body

becomes dependent upon it. The withdrawals is what makes the addiction even worse. They can

be very uncomfortable. Some people say it feels like a mild case of the flu. They become

depress, anxious, and begint o gain weight. For most people, the worst symptoms last a few days

to a few weeks. On a nicotine withdrawal timeline, it shows that just 4 hours after the last

cigarette cravings start to happen. Ten hours in the smoker experiences restlesness and trouble

sleeping. With one day in it seems as if theyre life is falling apart having rough mornings and

irritablity. With 2 days in, terrible headaches are experienced by the smoker. Two and a half days

in, it feels like a Monday. The first mornings as a non-smoker is an absolute mess. The anxiety

levels are through the roof and the littlest of problems become like the biggest. The stress levels

are very heavy. On the third day is when it becomes just a slight bit more easier, but most people

dont tend to make it this far. A full week is a smokers goal to become free of nicotine. There

are 70 percent of people that try to quit smoking. Out of the 70 percent, only 7 percent will
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succeed at quitting their first time. Only 3 and a half percent will quite it all together and

unfortunately, 50 percent of the original 70, go back to smoking. Goes to show just how

dependant people are.

Researchers have long understood that smoking rates among the unemployed are

particularly high, but do people smoke because theyre unemployed, or are they unemployed

because they smoke? New research suggests people who smoke cigarettes have a harder time

finding jobs and theyre paid less when they do. Stanford University Medical Center

researchers, carried out a study that smokers may be more likely to stay unemployed longer, and

earn less, than non-smokers. Judith Prochaska, associate professor of medicine at Sanford and

leader of the study said, You dont know if smokers have a harder time finding work or if

smokers are more likely to lose their jobs or that when nonsmokers lose their jobs, they

become stressed and start to smoke. Prochaska and her team surveyed 131 unemployed

smokers and 120 unemployed nonsmokers at the start of the study, at six months, and once again

at 12 months. They used a breath test for carbon monoxide levels to see whether the participants

smoked daily or whether they didnt smoke at all. Only 27 percent of the smokers had found jobs

compared to 56 percent of non-smokers. In addition, smokers earned $5 less per hour on average

than nonsmokers. An Ohio State University study from 2013 found that smokers cost employers

an extra $5,816 in health care costs and lost productivity from smoking breaks compared to

nonsmokers. Smokers also will likely be faced with a slew of health problems, from fatigue and
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coughing to long-term diseases like lung cancer, heart disease, or chronic bronchitis. The answer

is yet to be discovered, but its leaning more on the side that smokers have a harder time finding

jobs and working.

Alot of people are now substituting cigarettes with electronic ones, e-cigs. They call it

vaping. Although e-cigs are safer than cigarettes, theyre not exactly the safest. E-cigs don't burn,

so people aren't as exposed to those toxins. A 2015 expert review from Public Health England

estimated e-cigs are 95% less harmful because e-cigs dont burn, its vapor. It still contains the

chemical nicotine, which makes them just as addictive. It just delivers nicotine without the

harmful toxins and toxins in tobacco, since most of cigarette harm is from the tobacco. Flavors in

e-cigs have been raising red flags. Some use a buttery-tasting chemical called diacetyl, which is

often added to foods like popcorn. When it's inhaled, it can be dangerous. Using an e-cigarette

for five minutes began to restrict lung function, as shown iin recent searchers. Even though it

isnt clear which e-cigarette ingredient or combination of substances caused these reactions, the

source of the e-cigarettes visible vapor, can bring on respiratory irritation and increase the

chance of developing asthma. It is being questioned if secondhand vapor creates any risk.

The cost aspect of smoking is astounding. Were not talking small amounts here or petty

cash. A person that smokes, given they smoke a pack a day, spends about $160 a week on

cigarettes, which is nearly $8,500 each year. If they smoke two packs of cigarettes a day, they

can save more than $2,000 a year. The rate climbs higher and higher depending on how many
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packs are smoked a day. Someone who is on an average hourly wage would have to work for 45

minutes just to earn enough to buy a packet of cigarettes. Since smoking significantly increases

the likelihood of early mortality, insurance companies recognize this and see it as an increased

risk. That risk is passed back to the consumer who smokes through increased rates. The amount

that smokers pay can frequently be up to four times higher than that of a non-smoker, according

to Jeff Rose from Good Financial Cents. One can only imagine how much money a smoker

could be saving. What a shame. They couldve went on vacations, buy a car (a nicer one), pay

off debts, or even just to treat themself with a nice meal or buy nice apple products. For someone

to quit smoking, might as well call it a pay raise.

A counterclaim a smoker or possibly even a non smoker, can rebuttle with is that it eases

the pain of a persons emotions. The nicotine, or any other drug, creates that high. The euphoria is

their best friend. They figure, Why suffer when I dont have to feel this pain? They take the

easy way out. They dont seem to recognize that feelings are only temporary. That euphoric

feeling is temporary. The pain theyre enduring is only temporary. They fail to see the long term

effects, and what is happening to their bodies at that very second. Given, no one really knows or

can fully understand what goes on behind closed doors in a persons life. There are other ways

out, other options with handeling rough situations. Sad to say, probably most smokers get that

theyre killing themsleves and do want to change, but circumstances and their surroundings keep
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them from finding a way out. A person cant control what goes on, but they can definitely

control their reaction. Things do not change, we do, said Henry David Thoreau.

Another counterclaim, one made more for younger smokers, can say is its not their fault.

Society has taken a big role in this generation. Teens fall into peer pressure and want to look cool

and fit in with the crowd. They dont have to fear getting bullied and feeling like a misfit. Its

like a social reward for them. One cant deny the social acceptancy feeling. No one likes to feel

alone. Its not just socializing outside in the real world, but on social media too. A person can be

hazed and feel like drugs is the only way out. Advertisements may entice the youth into starting

to smoke as well. A kid can very well just do it out of wanting to be a rebel, out of spite. They

love being the risk-taker, and having that rush flowing through them. Its just how they grew up.

In conclusion, there cons overpower any type of recounter by a longshot. Now knowing

every aspect of why smoking is terrible for an indivudal, it shouldnt be that hard of a decision of

wanting smoking to be illegal. Why cause harm to the world and to the body? Smokers shouldnt

use troubles and life occurences as an excuse. As Preston Bradley once said, Ive never met a

person, I dont care what his condition, in whom I could not see possibilities. I dont care how

much a man may consider himself a failure, I believe in him, for he can change the thing that is

wrong in his life any time he is ready and prepared to do it. Wherever he develops the desire, he

can take away from his life the thing that is defeating it. The capacity for reformation and change
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lies within. An indivdiual can not just sit and believe that a postive change isnt beneficial. Be

the change that the world needs. It all starts within.

Work Cited

"10 of the Worst Diseases Smoking Causes." American Lung Association. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Jan.
2017.

WebMD. "Smoking What Will Happen to My Body?" WebMD Boots. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Jan. 2017.

"Smoking and Dental Health: Yellow Teeth, Bad Breath, and Other Smoking Effects." WebMD.
WebMD, n.d. Web. 13 Jan. 2017.

"Protect Your Loved Ones From Secondhand Smoke." Smokefree.gov. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Jan.
2017.

"Children Whose Parents Smoked Are Twice as Likely to Begin Smoking between Ages 13 and 21
as Offspring of Nonsmokers." UW Today. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Jan. 2017.

"How Long Does It Take to Get Hooked on Smoking." How Long Does It Take to Get Hooked on
Smoking. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Jan. 2017.

"Nicotine Withdrawal Timeline - What to Expect and Symptoms." Quit Smoking Community. N.p.,
n.d. Web. 13 Jan. 2017.

"Understanding Nicotine Withdrawal." Smokefree.gov. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Jan. 2017.

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Statisticbrain.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Jan. 2017.

"Smokers Struggle to Find Jobs, Get Paid Less." University of California. N.p., 11 Apr. 2016. Web.
13 Jan. 2017.

Bushak, Lecia, and Lecia Bushak Lecia Bushak Is a Writer and Reporter Focusing on Medical,
Science, and International News. Read More. "Finding A Job Is Harder When You're A Smoker."
Medical Daily. N.p., 11 Apr. 2016. Web. 13 Jan. 2017.

"Cost of Smoking." Cost of Smoking | Health Promotion Agency Smokefree. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Jan.
2017.

"You Won't Believe How Much You'll Save When You Quit." Quit Smoking Community. N.p., n.d.
Web. 13 Jan. 2017.

"Is Vaping Good For You? E-Cigarette Safety." WebMD. WebMD, n.d. Web. 13 Jan. 2017.