"I first started smoking when I was fifteen because of peer pressure." Says local smoker, Brian Rote. This is the age that many teenagers pick up their first cigarette. Why, because they are under peer pressure.
Way back in 1860, when smoking was just being introduced to the US, they would advertise cigarettes directed more toward women. When the women did not seem interested in smoking, they turned to the men audience. Showing pictures of cowboys with a cigarette caused the men to think that smoking was a cool and very macho thing to do. That theory is still here today.
It wasn't until 1962 that doctors discovered that smoking was hazardous for your health. Not only did doctors find that somkers can get lung cancer, tuberculosis, tumors, and emphysema, but also that smoking can make your teeth and fingers yellow and it can give you bad breath. Well, why do adults smoke, then? The answer is because they started when they were teenagers, as a result of peer pressure and stress, and became addicted ever since then. People become addicted to a chemical in the cigarette called nicotine. Nicotine is put in cigarettes so that more people will buy them, and the company will make a lot of money. The average smoker spends about 700 dollars on cigarettes per years. That's enough money to play 2,800 video arcade games!
"Many times I have burnt holes in my clothing, furniture, and even my car seats." Says Brian. "When my friends and I would plan to go somewhere, they wouldn't want to drive with me because my car smelled like smoke.
by Audrey Z.
Warwick School District, PA