Teenage Smoking Essay Research Paper teenage smoking — страница 2

reasons to want to end it. Adults make claims such as, “Most adolescent smokers are addicted to nicotine and report that they want to quit, but are unable to do so; they experience withdrawal symptoms and relapse rates similar to those reported by adults (Elders). Statements such as this show that anti teenage smoking campaign values safety. The campaign focuses on the fact that your body is not safe if you are smoking and neither are you. Valuing these two things shows what the interests of older generation are, and that is life. Life is something that you are given, and will have until you lose it. Enjoyment of life, on the other hand, is something that you must obtain, and smoking is one way that teenagers do so. Another way in which the Tobacco Companies make smoking seem

appealing to teenagers is by having things such as Camel Cash . This is an item that accompanies all packs of cigarettes of the brand Camel. You save up these pieces of paper and eventual redeem them for gifts. It gives people another incentive to purchase cigarettes. Thadd Brengle, nineteen years old and a smoker of three years said, Yeah I save the camel cash up, there is some cool stuff to be won. This shows teenage smokers value such things as instant gratification, money, and material goods. This is something that has been published before and talks mainly about the fact that teenagers will do just about anything that offers gratification at that moment. They do so with no outlook on what the future repercussions will be and with an open mind. By appealing to this, the

company is making it seem as if, if you smoke, you will win. This method of advertising is something that has been considered long and hard by many groups of people, both opposing teenage smoking and those for it. The reason that this is such a debate is due to the fact that the tobacco industry is not allowed to make smoking look appealing to teenagers, yet this type of promotion is something that most people would consider appealing to kids. I have considered both sides of the argument of teenage smoking. I have researched the effects. I have even listened to what people hold as values and what people consider when making their judgments. Throughout, however, I have smoked. And, yes, I am a teenager. Adults just seem to be too imposing on this issue for my liking. One doesn t

see teenagers debating over whether or not adults should do something controversial. This is because teenagers know how to do one thing correctly, that being minding their own business when it comes to judging another age group. Teenagers value things that have to do with enjoyment of life, while adults value things having to do with the extension of life. It seems to me that teenagers have the right idea because you re going to live no matter what, wouldn t you like to say that you at least liked it. Works Cited + Shelley, Matt. Our teenagers are smoking. Gilbert Tribune, December 18th 1999, Pg 4 + Elders, Perry Eriksen, & Giovino. (1994). The Report of the Surgeon General: Preventing Tobacco Use among Young People. 326