young smokers

Smoking ciggarettes is not a healthy habit; Smokers and non smokers alike both know this.  However, it doesn’t seem to stop the 6,000 children who start smoking every single day in America, all under the age of 18.

An article titled Mississippi Should Stop Subsidizing Teen Smokers, gave smoking statistics, ranging from the amount of adolescent smokers in the United States(4.5 million), as well as the percent of smokers who pick up the habit before the age of 21(90%).   In a study done in Mississippi, it showed that 23% of students at their highschool had addmitted smoking in 2003, and the percent had jumped about 15% about a decade ago.  The article showed that the main problem in Mississippi seemed to have is the low ciggarette taxes, and that raising such would help alleviate the problem.  It seems odd that so many people feel the urge to start smoking, knowing very well what it does the the body, which could very well result in cancer and death.  Especially Missipissippi, many other states in the US have had their smoking statistics rise with each year. 

The saddest part about all of this is that the smokers are getting younger and younger, many before the age of 18.  The result of smoking is something that needs to be urged more towards others the younger generation, and raising ciggarette taxes, as well as the smoking age, could help sway people not to start.  It’s an addictive deadly habit that will eventually deterierate the body, and Mississippi, as well as every other state in America, needs to promote not smoking before it’s too late.