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Adolescent tobacco use


MathNerd05

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This site has a lot of information, albeit a little old, about teen tobacco use primarily in the U.S. Some of these numbers are frightening.

This graph says it all:

Between 1991 and 1998 the prevalence of smoking increased in each of the three grades surveyed as follows:

                          1991    1994    1998

Eighth Graders    14.3%  18.4%  19.1%

Tenth Graders    20.8%  25.4%  27.6%

Twelfth Graders  28.3%  31.2%  35.1%

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Yes, it is amazing since we have known, definitively, that smoking the ciggies will earn you a dance with the grim reaper sometimes decades before it is your time.  The Surgeon General first said this more than 40 years ago in the early 1960s.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Not to mention that the tobacco companies knew that cigarettes were dangerous way back in the 1930s.

I have never tried cigarettes, and I don't plan on starting. The very idea grosses me out.

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Its one thing if they were only hurting themselves . . . but second hand smoke is even deadlier and to see parents smoke around their kids like that . . . so sad.

One thing I remember from college is that baseball player (I believe it was) who had no mouth--literally--from years of chewing tobacco. I know that in some areas of the country--especially rural--chew is what you have to do to be a man. If I remember correctly chew is even worse then smoking.

Thanks for the stats MathN. I think every kid should see some of the results--they are worse then a horror movie--before they start on this crap.

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Thinking that tobacco companies like Phillip Morris putting up ads that say they don't want minors to smoke is not wanting minors to smoke is false. The tobacco companies surely love minors smoking because they could smoke their rest of their lives -45+ years of buying cigarettes and they recieve cold hard cash for that. It's probably the government that forced these companies to put up these no-tobacco-for-minor ads. If there weren't any government pressure, I think these ads would be nonexistent. I'm still in school, and I always see a whole gang of youngsters smoking around school and in the boys locker room. It's reprehensible that store employees let minors buy cigarettes for them to use and destroy their lives and health. Worse yet, some ppl smoke the Mary Jane (weed) and leave a mountain of that burnt crap on the floor; weed is worse than cigarettes. People don't seem to know that this crap is nasty :sick: and it's very detrimental to your health! Yuck! Still worse, the area north of my school used to be littered with heorin and narcotics needs before the school staff cleaned it up and patrolled that area. [barf] :sick: Oh well, if these ppl choose to still smoke even though they've been warned, let them do this harmful crap. -_-

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I think every kid should see some of the results--they are worse then a horror movie--before they start on this crap.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

When I was in elementary school I was made to watch these horrible documentaries in DARE class that showed what happened to people's lungs- how digusting they looked. We were shown all of these videos after-the-crash of the people who got hurt and all of this stuff. It was some messed up stuff.

I have heard that chewing tobacco is much worse for you. You are almost guaranteed to have cancer when you get older.

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Darn! Forgot to mention chew tobacco! [barf] Gross, I've seen the mouths of ppl that have chew tobacco for like years and the mouth feathers cease to exist. The teeth have fallen out, and those that remain are badly damaged. The tongue and cheek sides look decimated and utterly nasty! [barfs again.] Ugh, in 7th grade I saw the extracted lung of a person who has died of smoking and there's black spots everywhere and the lung was yellow and smaller than a usual healthy lung. I also saw a huge bucket full of the tar that they removed from the lungs and you won't wanna see it. Yuck! :sick::sick::sick:

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As far as quiting I have heard some people really have problems with it, its is very addictive with some. My dad used to tell me that if he ever caught me smoking he'd kill me (he said this with a straight face too) he'd kill me so tobacco wouldn't because either way I was going down, he loved me too much to let tobacco do it . . . yeah sounds borderline abusive but sometimes when your a dumb kid you have to get the S** scared out of you to keep you away from stuff you don't understand the impact of. Just my experience, maybe its wrong to say but when I have kids I think to love them right you have to scare them straight.

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Growing up both of my parents were smokers. I was always told to go outdoors and get fresh air, or not to come in a room b/c a cigarette was going, etc. Hearing the smokers coughs of both my parents in the mornings and throughout the night was more than enough reason for me not to smoke.

I cannot understand why so many kids feel the need to shorten an already short life. In the United States of America, where one of the highest standards of living exists and a little hard work can get you just about anywhere, our kids insist on complaining and whining about how bad the world is and turn to smoking/drugs/alchohol as a solution for their own misguided depression. IMO if you need any of the above to enjoy an already privelaged life, you need a reality check ASAP.

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Both my parents are smokers and, as of 4 months ago, I started smoking. The reason I started is because they gave me a very intense buzz (Dunhills, wicked strong). It was easy for me to start because I had been smoking marijuana already. I do not regret smoking cigarettes. I believe I am mentally, but not physically addicted. I have not yet seen any immediate negative health affects. I am NOT saying it is not unhealthy, because it is bad for you.

I have also seen all the negative consequenses of smoking, and I am not afraid, I would rather enjoy my life.

If you have a condescending comment to make about cigarette smoking, please keep it to yourself, no one cares.

Yes, it is disturbing that adolescent tobacco use is so high, but it really isn't that surprising. This also proves that cigarettes market themselves, as the #'s in the early '90s were lower than they are now, yet cigarette advertising is almost universally banned now.

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I *think* all the demonizing of smoking has actually made it worse among teens. I mean if you want to rebel you are always going pick something adults are telling you are bad right? I think the numbers quoted above could back this (though there is really no way to tell because these are just statistics).

I know when I was a kid they did the whole dare marijuana makes you die stuff, so when I got a little older what did all my friends and I do... smoke marijuana. Side note: I am now a healthy, successful, working professional (who doesn't smoke marijuana :))

By no means do I think it is a great idea for kids to smoke (or anyone) and I don't myself. My only issue is there is an anti smoking ad every other commercial here, and I think from a rebellious kid's perspective this is just free ad-time for the tabacco companies. Like we have always heard "any publicity is good publicity". I agree smoking may not be a great thing, but the fact is it is just an "agenda" because there are a lot of other things out there that shorten our lives and kill people lets be honest even if they dont get the same amount of airtime. And I think all this focus on smoking has worsened smoking among youths. Don't mean to offend just play the devils advocate. :P

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