short essays about smoking

Essay on Smoking

500 words essay on smoking.

One of the most common problems we are facing in today’s world which is killing people is smoking. A lot of people pick up this habit because of stress , personal issues and more. In fact, some even begin showing it off. When someone smokes a cigarette, they not only hurt themselves but everyone around them. It has many ill-effects on the human body which we will go through in the essay on smoking.

Ill-Effects of Smoking

Tobacco can have a disastrous impact on our health. Nonetheless, people consume it daily for a long period of time till it’s too late. Nearly one billion people in the whole world smoke. It is a shocking figure as that 1 billion puts millions of people at risk along with themselves.

Cigarettes have a major impact on the lungs. Around a third of all cancer cases happen due to smoking. For instance, it can affect breathing and causes shortness of breath and coughing. Further, it also increases the risk of respiratory tract infection which ultimately reduces the quality of life.

In addition to these serious health consequences, smoking impacts the well-being of a person as well. It alters the sense of smell and taste. Further, it also reduces the ability to perform physical exercises.

It also hampers your physical appearances like giving yellow teeth and aged skin. You also get a greater risk of depression or anxiety . Smoking also affects our relationship with our family, friends and colleagues.

Most importantly, it is also an expensive habit. In other words, it entails heavy financial costs. Even though some people don’t have money to get by, they waste it on cigarettes because of their addiction.

How to Quit Smoking?

There are many ways through which one can quit smoking. The first one is preparing for the day when you will quit. It is not easy to quit a habit abruptly, so set a date to give yourself time to prepare mentally.

Further, you can also use NRTs for your nicotine dependence. They can reduce your craving and withdrawal symptoms. NRTs like skin patches, chewing gums, lozenges, nasal spray and inhalers can help greatly.

Moreover, you can also consider non-nicotine medications. They require a prescription so it is essential to talk to your doctor to get access to it. Most importantly, seek behavioural support. To tackle your dependence on nicotine, it is essential to get counselling services, self-materials or more to get through this phase.

One can also try alternative therapies if they want to try them. There is no harm in trying as long as you are determined to quit smoking. For instance, filters, smoking deterrents, e-cigarettes, acupuncture, cold laser therapy, yoga and more can work for some people.

Always remember that you cannot quit smoking instantly as it will be bad for you as well. Try cutting down on it and then slowly and steadily give it up altogether.

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Conclusion of the Essay on Smoking

Thus, if anyone is a slave to cigarettes, it is essential for them to understand that it is never too late to stop smoking. With the help and a good action plan, anyone can quit it for good. Moreover, the benefits will be evident within a few days of quitting.

FAQ of Essay on Smoking

Question 1: What are the effects of smoking?

Answer 1: Smoking has major effects like cancer, heart disease, stroke, lung diseases, diabetes, and more. It also increases the risk for tuberculosis, certain eye diseases, and problems with the immune system .

Question 2: Why should we avoid smoking?

Answer 2: We must avoid smoking as it can lengthen your life expectancy. Moreover, by not smoking, you decrease your risk of disease which includes lung cancer, throat cancer, heart disease, high blood pressure, and more.

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Home — Essay Samples — Nursing & Health — Addictions — Smoking

Essays About Smoking

Smoking essay, types of essay about smoking.

Cause and Effect Essay: This type of essay focuses on the causes and effects of smoking. It discusses why people start smoking and the consequences of smoking on both the smoker and those around them.
Argumentative Essay: This essay type aims to persuade the reader about the negative effects of smoking. It presents an argument and provides supporting evidence to convince the reader that smoking is harmful and should be avoided.
Persuasive Essay: Similar to an argumentative essay, this type of essay aims to persuade the reader to quit smoking. It presents facts, statistics, and other relevant information to convince the reader to stop smoking.

Smoking Essay Example: Cause and Effect

Identify the causes of smoking: Start by examining why people start smoking in the first place. Is it peer pressure, addiction, stress, or curiosity? Understanding the reasons why people smoke is crucial in creating an effective cause and effect essay.
Discuss the effects of smoking: Highlight the impact smoking has on an individual's health and the environment. Discuss the risks associated with smoking, such as lung cancer, heart disease, and respiratory problems, and explain how smoking affects non-smokers through secondhand smoke.
Use reliable sources: To make your essay more convincing, ensure that you use credible sources to back up your claims. Use scientific studies, government reports, and medical journals to support your arguments.
Provide statistical evidence: Incorporate statistical data to make your essay more impactful. Use figures to show the number of people who smoke, the effects of smoking on the environment, and the costs associated with smoking.
Offer solutions: Conclude your essay by suggesting solutions to the problem of smoking. Encourage smokers to quit by outlining the benefits of quitting smoking and offering resources for those who want to quit.

Smoking: Argumentative Essay

Choose a clear position: The writer should choose a side on the issue of smoking, either for or against it, and be clear in presenting their stance.
Gather evidence: Research and collect facts and statistics to support the writer's argument. They can find data from reliable sources like scientific journals, government reports, and reputable news organizations.
Address counterarguments: A good argumentative essay will acknowledge opposing viewpoints and then provide a counterargument to refute them.
Use persuasive language: The writer should use persuasive language to convince the reader of their position. This includes using rhetorical devices, such as ethos, pathos, and logos, to appeal to the reader's emotions and logic.
Provide a clear conclusion: The writer should summarize the key points of their argument and reiterate their stance in the conclusion.

Persuasive Essay on Smoking

Identify your audience and their beliefs about smoking.
Present compelling evidence to support your argument, such as statistics, research studies, and personal anecdotes.
Use emotional appeals, such as stories or images that show the negative impact of smoking.
Address potential counterarguments and refute them effectively.
Use strong and clear language to persuade the reader to take action.
When choosing a topic for a smoking persuasive essay, consider a specific aspect of smoking that you would like to persuade the audience to act upon.

Hook Examples for Smoking Essays

Anecdotal hook.

Imagine a teenager taking their first puff of a cigarette, unaware of the lifelong addiction they're about to face. This scenario illustrates the pervasive issue of smoking among young people.

Question Hook

Is the pleasure derived from smoking worth the serious health risks it poses? Dive into the contentious debate over tobacco use and its consequences.

Quotation Hook

"Smoking is a habit that drains your money and kills you slowly, one puff after another." — Unknown. Explore the financial and health impacts of smoking in today's society.

Statistical or Factual Hook

Did you know that smoking is responsible for nearly 8 million deaths worldwide each year? Examine the alarming statistics and data associated with tobacco-related illnesses.

Definition Hook

What exactly is smoking, and what are the various forms it takes? Delve into the definitions of smoking, including cigarettes, cigars, pipes, and emerging alternatives like e-cigarettes.

Rhetorical Question Hook

Can we truly call ourselves a smoke-free generation when new nicotine delivery devices are enticing young people? Investigate the impact of vaping and e-cigarettes on the youth.

Historical Hook

Trace the history of smoking, from its ancient roots to its prevalence in different cultures and societies. Explore how perceptions of smoking have evolved over time.

Contrast Hook

Contrast the images of the suave, cigarette-smoking characters from classic films with the grim reality of tobacco-related diseases and addiction in the modern world.

Narrative Hook

Walk in the shoes of a lifelong smoker as they recount their journey from that first cigarette to a battle with addiction and the quest to quit. Their story reflects the struggles of many.

Shocking Statement Hook

Prepare to uncover the disturbing truth about smoking—how it not only harms the smoker but also affects non-smokers through secondhand smoke exposure. It's an issue that goes beyond personal choice.

The Harmful Effects of Smoking: Physical, Social, and Economic Consequences

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Persuasive Essay Guide

Persuasive Essay About Smoking

Persuasive Essay About Smoking - Making a Powerful Argument with Examples

What You Need To Know About Persuasive Essay

A persuasive essay is a type of writing that aims to convince its readers to take a certain stance or action. It often uses logical arguments and evidence to back up its argument in order to persuade readers.

It also utilizes rhetorical techniques such as ethos, pathos, and logos to make the argument more convincing. In other words, persuasive essays use facts and evidence as well as emotion to make their points.

A persuasive essay about smoking would use these techniques to convince its readers about any point about smoking. Check out an example below:

Simple persuasive essay about smoking

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Persuasive Essay Examples About Smoking

Smoking is one of the leading causes of preventable death in the world. It leads to adverse health effects, including lung cancer, heart disease, and damage to the respiratory tract. However, the number of people who smoke cigarettes has been on the rise globally.

A lot has been written on topics related to the effects of smoking. Reading essays about it can help you get an idea of what makes a good persuasive essay.

Here are some sample persuasive essays about smoking that you can use as inspiration for your own writing:

Persuasive speech on smoking outline

Persuasive essay about smoking should be banned

Persuasive essay about smoking pdf

Persuasive essay about smoking cannot relieve stress

Persuasive essay about smoking in public places

Speech about smoking is dangerous

Persuasive Essay About Smoking Introduction

Persuasive Essay About Stop Smoking

Short Persuasive Essay About Smoking

Stop Smoking Persuasive Speech

Check out some more persuasive essay examples on various other topics.

Argumentative Essay About Smoking Examples

An argumentative essay is a type of essay that uses facts and logical arguments to back up a point. It is similar to a persuasive essay but differs in that it utilizes more evidence than emotion.

If you’re looking to write an argumentative essay about smoking, here are some examples to get you started on the arguments of why you should not smoke.

Argumentative essay about smoking pdf

Argumentative essay about smoking in public places

Argumentative essay about smoking introduction

Check out the video below to find useful arguments against smoking:

Tips for Writing a Persuasive Essay About Smoking

You have read some examples of persuasive and argumentative essays about smoking. Now here are some tips that will help you craft a powerful essay on this topic.

Choose a Specific Angle

Select a particular perspective on the issue that you can use to form your argument. When talking about smoking, you can focus on any aspect such as the health risks, economic costs, or environmental impact.

Think about how you want to approach the topic. For instance, you could write about why smoking should be banned.

Check out the list of persuasive essay topics to help you while you are thinking of an angle to choose!

Research the Facts

Before writing your essay, make sure to research the facts about smoking. This will give you reliable information to use in your arguments and evidence for why people should avoid smoking.

You can find and use credible data and information from reputable sources such as government websites, health organizations, and scientific studies.

For instance, you should gather facts about health issues and negative effects of tobacco if arguing against smoking. Moreover, you should use and cite sources carefully.

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Make an Outline

The next step is to create an outline for your essay. This will help you organize your thoughts and make sure that all the points in your essay flow together logically.

Your outline should include the introduction, body paragraphs, and conclusion. This will help ensure that your essay has a clear structure and argument.

Use Persuasive Language

When writing your essay, make sure to use persuasive language such as “it is necessary” or “people must be aware”. This will help you convey your message more effectively and emphasize the importance of your point.

Also, don’t forget to use rhetorical devices such as ethos, pathos, and logos to make your arguments more convincing. That is, you should incorporate emotion, personal experience, and logic into your arguments.

Introduce Opposing Arguments

Another important tip when writing a persuasive essay on smoking is to introduce opposing arguments. It will show that you are aware of the counterarguments and can provide evidence to refute them. This will help you strengthen your argument.

By doing this, your essay will come off as more balanced and objective, making it more convincing.

Finish Strong

Finally, make sure to finish your essay with a powerful conclusion. This will help you leave a lasting impression on your readers and reinforce the main points of your argument. You can end by summarizing the key points or giving some advice to the reader.

A powerful conclusion could either include food for thought or a call to action. So be sure to use persuasive language and make your conclusion strong.

To conclude,

By following these tips, you can write an effective and persuasive essay on smoking. Remember to research the facts, make an outline, and use persuasive language.

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Persuasive Essay Writing

Persuasive Essay About Smoking

Craft an Engaging Persuasive Essay About Smoking: Examples & Tips

Published on: Jan 25, 2023

Last updated on: Jan 29, 2024

Persuasive Essay-Defined

A persuasive essay is a form of academic writing that presents an argument in favor of a particular position, opinion, or viewpoint.

It is usually written to convince the audience to take a certain action or adopt a specific viewpoint.

The primary purpose of this type of essay is to provide evidence and arguments that support the writer's opinion.

In persuasive writing, the writer will often use facts, logic, and emotion to convince the reader that their stance is correct.

The writer can persuade the reader to consider or agree with their point of view by presenting a well-researched and logically structured argument.

The goal of a persuasive essay is not to sway the reader's opinion. It is to rather inform and educate them on a particular topic or issue.

Check this free downloadable example of a persuasive essay about smoking!

Simple Persuasive essay about smoking

Read our extensive guide on persuasive essays to learn more about crafting a masterpiece every time.

Persuasive Essay Examples About Smoking

Are you a student looking for some useful tips to write an effective persuasive essay about the dangers of smoking?

Look no further! Here are several great examples of persuasive essays that masterfully tackle the subject and persuade readers creatively.

Persuasive speech on the smoking outline

Persuasive essay about smoking should be banned

Persuasive essay about smoking pdf

Persuasive essay about smoking cannot relieve stress

Persuasive essay about smoking in public places

Speech about smoking is dangerous

For more examples about persuasive essays, check out our blog on persuasive essay examples .

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Argumentative Essay About Smoking Examples

Our examples can help you find the points that work best for your style and argument.

Argumentative essay about smoking introduction

Argumentative essay about smoking pdf

Argumentative essay about smoking in public places

10 Tips for Writing a Persuasive Essay About Smoking

Here are a few tips and tricks to make your persuasive essay about smoking stand out:

1. Do Your Research

Before you start writing, make sure to do thorough research on the topic of smoking and its effects.

Look for primary and secondary sources that provide valuable information about the issue.

2. Create an Outline

An outline is essential when organizing your thoughts and ideas into a cohesive structure. This can help you organize your arguments and counterarguments.

Read our blog about creating a persuasive essay outline to master your next essay.

Check out this amazing video here!

3. Clearly Define the Issue

Make sure your writing identifies the problem of smoking and why it should be stopped.

4. Highlight Consequences

Show readers the possible negative impacts of smoking, like cancer, respiratory issues, and addiction.

5. Identity Solutions

Provide viable solutions to the problem, such as cessation programs, cigarette alternatives, and lifestyle changes.

6. Be Research-Oriented

Research facts about smoking and provide sources for those facts that can be used to support your argument.

7. Aim For the Emotions

Use powerful language and vivid imagery to draw readers in and make them feel like you do about smoking.

8. Use Personal Stories

Share personal stories or anecdotes of people who have successfully quit smoking and those negatively impacted by it.

9. Include an Action Plan

Offer step-by-step instructions on how to quit smoking, and provide resources for assistance effectively.

10. Reference Experts

Incorporate quotes and opinions from medical professionals, researchers, or other experts in the field.

These tips can help you write an effective persuasive essay about smoking and its negative effects on the body, mind, and society.

When your next writing assignment has you feeling stuck, don't forget that essay examples about smoking are always available to break through writer's block.

And if you need help getting started, our expert essay writer at CollegeEssay.org is more than happy to assist.

Just give us your details, and our persuasive essay writer will start working on crafting a masterpiece.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What would be a good thesis statement for smoking.

A good thesis statement for smoking could be: "Smoking has serious health risks that outweigh any perceived benefits, and its use should be strongly discouraged."

What are good topics for persuasive essays?

Good topics for persuasive essays include the effects of smoking on health, the dangers of second-hand smoke, the economic implications of tobacco taxes, and ways to reduce teenage smoking.

These topics can be explored differently to provide a unique and engaging argument.

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Persuasive Essay

Persuasive Essay About Smoking

Last updated on: Jun 19, 2023

Craft an Outstanding Persuasive Essay About Smoking with Our Examples and Tips

By: Caleb S.

Reviewed By: Chris H.

Published on: Jan 25, 2023

Are you trying to write a persuasive essay about smoking? Do you want to prove that this habit is dangerous and should be avoided but are unsure how to do it convincingly?

Don't worry – we've got your back!

In this blog, we will provide persuasive essay examples and tips on how to make your argument truly persuasive! We'll help you to understand the dangers of smoking and to craft persuasive evidence that will make your essay powerful and persuasive.

With our tips, you can be sure that your persuasive essay about smoking will be a success!

So let's get started!

On this Page

What is a Persuasive Essay?

A persuasive essay is written to convince your reader of a particular opinion, point of view, or stance. These essays typically use persuasive devices such as logical arguments and emotional appeals to make their point.

The goal of persuasive essays about smoking is to convince your reader that smoking is dangerous and should be avoided. With persuasive evidence and reasonable opinions, you can do that!

Explore how to develop compelling arguments in your persuasive essay about smoking with our example as a guide!

Simple Persuasive essay about smoking

Check out our extensive guide on persuasive essay if you want to learn more!

Persuasive Essay Examples About Smoking

A persuasive essay effectively presents your opinion and makes the reader think twice about their stance on a particular issue.

Writing persuasive essays about smoking can be challenging, as there are many different arguments you can use to support your point of view.

To do this, you first need to understand the dangers of smoking and then craft persuasive evidence that supports your claims.

Persuasive speech on smoking outline

Persuasive essay about smoking should be banned

Persuasive essay about smoking pdf

Persuasive essay about smoking cannot relieve stress

Persuasive essay about smoking in public places

Speech about smoking is dangerous

Want more examples? See our persuasive essay examples blog!

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Argumentative Essay About Smoking Examples

Argumentative essay writing can be difficult, especially regarding topics like smoking. To make a persuasive argument, you must provide evidence that supports your stance.

We have provided persuasive essay examples about smoking to help you craft a persuasive argument on this topic.

Let's look at how to craft persuasive arguments in your argumentative essay about smoking with the help of our examples!

Argumentative essay about smoking introduction

Argumentative essay about smoking pdf

Argumentative essay about smoking in public places

Tips for Writing a Persuasive Essay About Smoking

How do you make sure that your argument persuades the reader?

Here are some tips to ensure that your argument is effective.

Start With an Engaging Introduction

The introduction of your essay should set the tone for the rest of the essay. It should catch readers' attention and make them want to continue reading.

Your introduction should include a clear thesis statement summarizing your smoking opinion. This will give the reader an understanding of where you stand on this issue.

Explore our guide for a thesis statement to learn how to write an effective one!

Research is Key

When creating an argument, you want to ensure you have all the facts and figures on your side.

Do some research related to your topic to make a compelling argument. This will help give credibility to what you’re saying and convince others more easily.

Use Credible Resources

When researching for your persuasive essay, it’s important to use reliable sources like scientific journals or government websites. These sources provide factual evidence that can support your claims credibly.

When using these resources, cite them correctly to avoid plagiarism and maintain academic integrity.

Construct Your Argument Logically

Once you have gathered your research, it’s time to start constructing your argument.

Using logical arguments helps keep readers engaged and allows them to see why you believe what you believe in an organized manner.

Additionally, don’t forget to include counterarguments so that readers can see both sides of the issue before forming their own opinion.

If you want to know how to construct an outline for your persuasive essay, check out our blog of persuasive essay outline !

Be Creative

The best way to get someone interested in what you have to say is by being creative with how you present it. If there are any interesting stories or anecdotes related to the topic, include them!

Doing this can help break up the monotony of an essay and make it easier for people to connect with what you’re saying.

If you want to explore some interesting topics, see our persuasive essay topics blog!

Crafting an effective persuasive essay or speech about smoking doesn’t have to be difficult if you keep these tips in mind!

You can also check out this video for creating logical arguments for your persuasive essay!

In conclusion, crafting an effective persuasive essay about smoking doesn’t have to be difficult if you keep these tips in mind! Get help from our examples to get you started on your persuasive essay.

Be sure to use persuasive language and persuasive techniques to make your point!

If you are still stuck, you can always count on MyPerfectPpaper.net to help you craft the persuasive essay you want.

Our essay writing service can provide expert persuasive writing help tailored to your needs. Our experienced persuasive essay writer can create essays that will make a lasting impression on your reader.

So, if you’re ready to get persuasive, let our " write my papers for me " service create a persuasive essay about smoking for you today!

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Frequently Asked Questions

What would be a good thesis statement for smoking.

Smoking is an addiction that ruins lives. It harms not only the smoker but also those around them. Smoking should be banned in all public places to protect the health of everyone.

What is a good way to start a persuasive essay?

A good way to begin is by introducing your topic and stating your position. Then, you can provide evidence or examples to support your position. Finally, you can ask the reader to take action or think about the issue differently.

What are good topics for persuasive essays?

How to quit smoking cigarettes for good?
How to resist the temptation of smoking in difficult situations?
How to motivate yourself to stop smoking cigarettes?
How to deal with cravings for cigarettes when trying to quit smoking?
How to stay smoke-free after quitting smoking?

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Preventing Tobacco Use Among Youth and Young Adults: A Report of the Surgeon General.

1 introduction, summary, and conclusions.

Introduction

Tobacco use is a global epidemic among young people. As with adults, it poses a serious health threat to youth and young adults in the United States and has significant implications for this nation’s public and economic health in the future ( Perry et al. 1994 ; Kessler 1995 ). The impact of cigarette smoking and other tobacco use on chronic disease, which accounts for 75% of American spending on health care ( Anderson 2010 ), is well-documented and undeniable. Although progress has been made since the first Surgeon General’s report on smoking and health in 1964 ( U.S. Department of Health, Education, and Welfare [USDHEW] 1964 ), nearly one in four high school seniors is a current smoker. Most young smokers become adult smokers. One-half of adult smokers die prematurely from tobacco-related diseases ( Fagerström 2002 ; Doll et al. 2004 ). Despite thousands of programs to reduce youth smoking and hundreds of thousands of media stories on the dangers of tobacco use, generation after generation continues to use these deadly products, and family after family continues to suffer the devastating consequences. Yet a robust science base exists on social, biological, and environmental factors that influence young people to use tobacco, the physiology of progression from experimentation to addiction, other health effects of tobacco use, the epidemiology of youth and young adult tobacco use, and evidence-based interventions that have proven effective at reducing both initiation and prevalence of tobacco use among young people. Those are precisely the issues examined in this report, which aims to support the application of this robust science base.

Nearly all tobacco use begins in childhood and adolescence ( U.S. Department of Health and Human Services [USDHHS] 1994 ). In all, 88% of adult smokers who smoke daily report that they started smoking by the age of 18 years (see Chapter 3 , “The Epidemiology of Tobacco Use Among Young People in the United States and Worldwide”). This is a time in life of great vulnerability to social influences ( Steinberg 2004 ), such as those offered through the marketing of tobacco products and the modeling of smoking by attractive role models, as in movies ( Dalton et al. 2009 ), which have especially strong effects on the young. This is also a time in life of heightened sensitivity to normative influences: as tobacco use is less tolerated in public areas and there are fewer social or regular users of tobacco, use decreases among youth ( Alesci et al. 2003 ). And so, as we adults quit, we help protect our children.

Cigarettes are the only legal consumer products in the world that cause one-half of their long-term users to die prematurely ( Fagerström 2002 ; Doll et al. 2004 ). As this epidemic continues to take its toll in the United States, it is also increasing in low- and middle-income countries that are least able to afford the resulting health and economic consequences ( Peto and Lopez 2001 ; Reddy et al. 2006 ). It is past time to end this epidemic. To do so, primary prevention is required, for which our focus must be on youth and young adults. As noted in this report, we now have a set of proven tools and policies that can drastically lower youth initiation and use of tobacco products. Fully committing to using these tools and executing these policies consistently and aggressively is the most straight forward and effective to making future generations tobacco-free.

The 1994 Surgeon General’s Report

This Surgeon General’s report on tobacco is the second to focus solely on young people since these reports began in 1964. Its main purpose is to update the science of smoking among youth since the first comprehensive Surgeon General’s report on tobacco use by youth, Preventing Tobacco Use Among Young People , was published in 1994 ( USDHHS 1994 ). That report concluded that if young people can remain free of tobacco until 18 years of age, most will never start to smoke. The report documented the addiction process for young people and how the symptoms of addiction in youth are similar to those in adults. Tobacco was also presented as a gateway drug among young people, because its use generally precedes and increases the risk of using illicit drugs. Cigarette advertising and promotional activities were seen as a potent way to increase the risk of cigarette smoking among young people, while community-wide efforts were shown to have been successful in reducing tobacco use among youth. All of these conclusions remain important, relevant, and accurate, as documented in the current report, but there has been considerable research since 1994 that greatly expands our knowledge about tobacco use among youth, its prevention, and the dynamics of cessation among young people. Thus, there is a compelling need for the current report.

Tobacco Control Developments

Since 1994, multiple legal and scientific developments have altered the tobacco control environment and thus have affected smoking among youth. The states and the U.S. Department of Justice brought lawsuits against cigarette companies, with the result that many internal documents of the tobacco industry have been made public and have been analyzed and introduced into the science of tobacco control. Also, the 1998 Master Settlement Agreement with the tobacco companies resulted in the elimination of billboard and transit advertising as well as print advertising that directly targeted underage youth and limitations on the use of brand sponsorships ( National Association of Attorneys General [NAAG] 1998 ). This settlement also created the American Legacy Foundation, which implemented a nationwide antismoking campaign targeting youth. In 2009, the U.S. Congress passed a law that gave the U.S. Food and Drug Administration authority to regulate tobacco products in order to promote the public’s health ( Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act 2009 ). Certain tobacco companies are now subject to regulations limiting their ability to market to young people. In addition, they have had to reimburse state governments (through agreements made with some states and the Master Settlement Agreement) for some health care costs. Due in part to these changes, there was a decrease in tobacco use among adults and among youth following the Master Settlement Agreement, which is documented in this current report.

Recent Surgeon General Reports Addressing Youth Issues

Other reports of the Surgeon General since 1994 have also included major conclusions that relate to tobacco use among youth ( Office of the Surgeon General 2010 ). In 1998, the report focused on tobacco use among U.S. racial/ethnic minority groups ( USDHHS 1998 ) and noted that cigarette smoking among Black and Hispanic youth increased in the 1990s following declines among all racial/ethnic groups in the 1980s; this was particularly notable among Black youth, and culturally appropriate interventions were suggested. In 2000, the report focused on reducing tobacco use ( USDHHS 2000b ). A major conclusion of that report was that school-based interventions, when implemented with community- and media-based activities, could reduce or postpone the onset of smoking among adolescents by 20–40%. That report also noted that effective regulation of tobacco advertising and promotional activities directed at young people would very likely reduce the prevalence and onset of smoking. In 2001, the Surgeon General’s report focused on women and smoking ( USDHHS 2001 ). Besides reinforcing much of what was discussed in earlier reports, this report documented that girls were more affected than boys by the desire to smoke for the purpose of weight control. Given the ongoing obesity epidemic ( Bonnie et al. 2007 ), the current report includes a more extensive review of research in this area.

The 2004 Surgeon General’s report on the health consequences of smoking ( USDHHS 2004 ) concluded that there is sufficient evidence to infer that a causal relationship exists between active smoking and (a) impaired lung growth during childhood and adolescence; (b) early onset of decline in lung function during late adolescence and early adulthood; (c) respiratory signs and symptoms in children and adolescents, including coughing, phlegm, wheezing, and dyspnea; and (d) asthma-related symptoms (e.g., wheezing) in childhood and adolescence. The 2004 Surgeon General’s report further provided evidence that cigarette smoking in young people is associated with the development of atherosclerosis.

The 2010 Surgeon General’s report on the biology of tobacco focused on the understanding of biological and behavioral mechanisms that might underlie the pathogenicity of tobacco smoke ( USDHHS 2010 ). Although there are no specific conclusions in that report regarding adolescent addiction, it does describe evidence indicating that adolescents can become dependent at even low levels of consumption. Two studies ( Adriani et al. 2003 ; Schochet et al. 2005 ) referenced in that report suggest that because the adolescent brain is still developing, it may be more susceptible and receptive to nicotine than the adult brain.

Scientific Reviews

Since 1994, several scientific reviews related to one or more aspects of tobacco use among youth have been undertaken that also serve as a foundation for the current report. The Institute of Medicine (IOM) ( Lynch and Bonnie 1994 ) released Growing Up Tobacco Free: Preventing Nicotine Addiction in Children and Youths, a report that provided policy recommendations based on research to that date. In 1998, IOM provided a white paper, Taking Action to Reduce Tobacco Use, on strategies to reduce the increasing prevalence (at that time) of smoking among young people and adults. More recently, IOM ( Bonnie et al. 2007 ) released a comprehensive report entitled Ending the Tobacco Problem: A Blueprint for the Nation . Although that report covered multiple potential approaches to tobacco control, not just those focused on youth, it characterized the overarching goal of reducing smoking as involving three distinct steps: “reducing the rate of initiation of smoking among youth (IOM [ Lynch and Bonnie] 1994 ), reducing involuntary tobacco smoke exposure ( National Research Council 1986 ), and helping people quit smoking” (p. 3). Thus, reducing onset was seen as one of the primary goals of tobacco control.

As part of USDHHS continuing efforts to assess the health of the nation, prevent disease, and promote health, the department released, in 2000, Healthy People 2010 and, in 2010, Healthy People 2020 ( USDHHS 2000a , 2011 ). Healthy People provides science-based, 10-year national objectives for improving the health of all Americans. For 3 decades, Healthy People has established benchmarks and monitored progress over time in order to encourage collaborations across sectors, guide individuals toward making informed health decisions, and measure the impact of prevention activities. Each iteration of Healthy People serves as the nation’s disease prevention and health promotion roadmap for the decade. Both Healthy People 2010 and Healthy People 2020 highlight “Tobacco Use” as one of the nation’s “Leading Health Indicators,” feature “Tobacco Use” as one of its topic areas, and identify specific measurable tobacco-related objectives and targets for the nation to strive for. Healthy People 2010 and Healthy People 2020 provide tobacco objectives based on the most current science and detailed population-based data to drive action, assess tobacco use among young people, and identify racial and ethnic disparities. Additionally, many of the Healthy People 2010 and 2020 tobacco objectives address reductions of tobacco use among youth and target decreases in tobacco advertising in venues most often influencing young people. A complete list of the healthy people 2020 objectives can be found on their Web site ( USDHHS 2011 ).

In addition, the National Cancer Institute (NCI) of the National Institutes of Health has published monographs pertinent to the topic of tobacco use among youth. In 2001, NCI published Monograph 14, Changing Adolescent Smoking Prevalence , which reviewed data on smoking among youth in the 1990s, highlighted important statewide intervention programs, presented data on the influence of marketing by the tobacco industry and the pricing of cigarettes, and examined differences in smoking by racial/ethnic subgroup ( NCI 2001 ). In 2008, NCI published Monograph 19, The Role of the Media in Promoting and Reducing Tobacco Use ( NCI 2008 ). Although young people were not the sole focus of this Monograph, the causal relationship between tobacco advertising and promotion and increased tobacco use, the impact on youth of depictions of smoking in movies, and the success of media campaigns in reducing youth tobacco use were highlighted as major conclusions of the report.

The Community Preventive Services Task Force (2011) provides evidence-based recommendations about community preventive services, programs, and policies on a range of topics including tobacco use prevention and cessation ( Task Force on Community Preventive Services 2001 , 2005 ). Evidence reviews addressing interventions to reduce tobacco use initiation and restricting minors’ access to tobacco products were cited and used to inform the reviews in the current report. The Cochrane Collaboration (2010) has also substantially contributed to the review literature on youth and tobacco use by producing relevant systematic assessments of health-related programs and interventions. Relevant to this Surgeon General’s report are Cochrane reviews on interventions using mass media ( Sowden 1998 ), community interventions to prevent smoking ( Sowden and Stead 2003 ), the effects of advertising and promotional activities on smoking among youth ( Lovato et al. 2003 , 2011 ), preventing tobacco sales to minors ( Stead and Lancaster 2005 ), school-based programs ( Thomas and Perara 2006 ), programs for young people to quit using tobacco ( Grimshaw and Stanton 2006 ), and family programs for preventing smoking by youth ( Thomas et al. 2007 ). These reviews have been cited throughout the current report when appropriate.

In summary, substantial new research has added to our knowledge and understanding of tobacco use and control as it relates to youth since the 1994 Surgeon General’s report, including updates and new data in subsequent Surgeon General’s reports, in IOM reports, in NCI Monographs, and in Cochrane Collaboration reviews, in addition to hundreds of peer-reviewed publications, book chapters, policy reports, and systematic reviews. Although this report is a follow-up to the 1994 report, other important reviews have been undertaken in the past 18 years and have served to fill the gap during an especially active and important time in research on tobacco control among youth.

Focus of the Report

Young People

This report focuses on “young people.” In general, work was reviewed on the health consequences, epidemiology, etiology, reduction, and prevention of tobacco use for those in the young adolescent (11–14 years of age), adolescent (15–17 years of age), and young adult (18–25 years of age) age groups. When possible, an effort was made to be specific about the age group to which a particular analysis, study, or conclusion applies. Because hundreds of articles, books, and reports were reviewed, however, there are, unavoidably, inconsistencies in the terminology used. “Adolescents,” “children,” and “youth” are used mostly interchangeably throughout this report. In general, this group encompasses those 11–17 years of age, although “children” is a more general term that will include those younger than 11 years of age. Generally, those who are 18–25 years old are considered young adults (even though, developmentally, the period between 18–20 years of age is often labeled late adolescence), and those 26 years of age or older are considered adults.

In addition, it is important to note that the report is concerned with active smoking or use of smokeless tobacco on the part of the young person. The report does not consider young people’s exposure to secondhand smoke, also referred to as involuntary or passive smoking, which was discussed in the 2006 report of the Surgeon General ( USDHHS 2006 ). Additionally, the report does not discuss research on children younger than 11 years old; there is very little evidence of tobacco use in the United States by children younger than 11 years of age, and although there may be some predictors of later tobacco use in those younger years, the research on active tobacco use among youth has been focused on those 11 years of age and older.

Tobacco Use

Although cigarette smoking is the most common form of tobacco use in the United States, this report focuses on other forms as well, such as using smokeless tobacco (including chew and snuff) and smoking a product other than a cigarette, such as a pipe, cigar, or bidi (tobacco wrapped in tendu leaves). Because for young people the use of one form of tobacco has been associated with use of other tobacco products, it is particularly important to monitor all forms of tobacco use in this age group. The term “tobacco use” in this report indicates use of any tobacco product. When the word “smoking” is used alone, it refers to cigarette smoking.

Organization of the Report

This chapter begins by providing a short synopsis of other reports that have addressed smoking among youth and, after listing the major conclusions of this report, will end by presenting conclusions specific to each chapter. Chapter 2 of this report (“The Health Consequences of Tobacco Use Among Young People”) focuses on the diseases caused by early tobacco use, the addiction process, the relation of body weight to smoking, respiratory and pulmonary problems associated with tobacco use, and cardiovascular effects. Chapter 3 (“The Epidemiology of Tobacco Use Among Young People in the United States and Worldwide”) provides recent and long-term cross-sectional and longitudinal data on cigarette smoking, use of smokeless tobacco, and the use of other tobacco products by young people, by racial/ethnic group and gender, primarily in the United States, but including some worldwide data as well. Chapter 4 (“Social, Environmental, Cognitive, and Genetic Influences on the Use of Tobacco Among Youth”) identifies the primary risk factors associated with tobacco use among youth at four levels, including the larger social and physical environments, smaller social groups, cognitive factors, and genetics and neurobiology. Chapter 5 (“The Tobacco Industry’s Influences on the Use of Tobacco Among Youth”) includes data on marketing expenditures for the tobacco industry over time and by category, the effects of cigarette advertising and promotional activities on young people’s smoking, the effects of price and packaging on use, the use of the Internet and movies to market tobacco products, and an evaluation of efforts by the tobacco industry to prevent tobacco use among young people. Chapter 6 (“Efforts to Prevent and Reduce Tobacco Use Among Young People”) provides evidence on the effectiveness of family-based, clinic-based, and school-based programs, mass media campaigns, regulatory and legislative approaches, increased cigarette prices, and community and statewide efforts in the fight against tobacco use among youth. Chapter 7 (“A Vision for Ending the Tobacco Epidemic”) points to next steps in preventing and reducing tobacco use among young people.

Preparation of the Report

This report of the Surgeon General was prepared by the Office on Smoking and Health (OSH), National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), USDHHS. In 2008, 18 external independent scientists reviewed the 1994 report and suggested areas to be added and updated. These scientists also suggested chapter editors and a senior scientific editor, who were contacted by OSH. Each chapter editor named external scientists who could contribute, and 33 content experts prepared draft sections. The draft sections were consolidated into chapters by the chapter editors and then reviewed by the senior scientific editor, with technical editing performed by CDC. The chapters were sent individually to 34 peer reviewers who are experts in the areas covered and who reviewed the chapters for scientific accuracy and comprehensiveness. The entire manuscript was then sent to more than 25 external senior scientists who reviewed the science of the entire document. After each review cycle, the drafts were revised by the chapter and senior scientific editor on the basis of the experts’ comments. Subsequently, the report was reviewed by various agencies within USDHHS. Publication lags prevent up-to-the-minute inclusion of all recently published articles and data, and so some more recent publications may not be cited in this report.

Evaluation of the Evidence

Since the first Surgeon General’s report in 1964 on smoking and health ( USDHEW 1964 ), major conclusions concerning the conditions and diseases caused by cigarette smoking and the use of smokeless tobacco have been based on explicit criteria for causal inference ( USDHHS 2004 ). Although a number of different criteria have been proposed for causal inference since the 1960s, this report focuses on the five commonly accepted criteria that were used in the original 1964 report and that are discussed in greater detail in the 2004 report on the health consequences of smoking ( USDHHS 2004 ). The five criteria refer to the examination of the association between two variables, such as a risk factor (e.g., smoking) and an outcome (e.g., lung cancer). Causal inference between these variables is based on (1) the consistency of the association across multiple studies; this is the persistent finding of an association in different persons, places, circumstances, and times; (2) the degree of the strength of association, that is, the magnitude and statistical significance of the association in multiple studies; (3) the specificity of the association to clearly demonstrate that tobacco use is robustly associated with the condition, even if tobacco use has multiple effects and multiple causes exist for the condition; (4) the temporal relationship of the association so that tobacco use precedes disease onset; and (5) the coherence of the association, that is, the argument that the association makes scientific sense, given data from other sources and understanding of biological and psychosocial mechanisms ( USDHHS 2004 ). Since the 2004 Surgeon General’s report, The Health Consequences of Smoking , a four-level hierarchy ( Table 1.1 ) has been used to assess the research data on associations discussed in these reports ( USDHHS 2004 ). In general, this assessment was done by the chapter editors and then reviewed as appropriate by peer reviewers, senior scientists, and the scientific editors. For a relationship to be considered sufficient to be characterized as causal, multiple studies over time provided evidence in support of each criteria.

Four-level hierarchy for classifying the strength of causal inferences based on available evidence.

When a causal association is presented in the chapter conclusions in this report, these four levels are used to describe the strength of the evidence of the association, from causal (1) to not causal (4). Within the report, other terms are used to discuss the evidence to date (i.e., mixed, limited, and equivocal evidence), which generally represent an inadequacy of data to inform a conclusion.

However, an assessment of a casual relationship is not utilized in presenting all of the report’s conclusions. The major conclusions are written to be important summary statements that are easily understood by those reading the report. Some conclusions, particularly those found in Chapter 3 (epidemiology), provide observations and data related to tobacco use among young people, and are generally not examinations of causal relationships. For those conclusions that are written using the hierarchy above, a careful and extensive review of the literature has been undertaken for this report, based on the accepted causal criteria ( USDHHS 2004 ). Evidence that was characterized as Level 1 or Level 2 was prioritized for inclusion as chapter conclusions.

In additional to causal inferences, statistical estimation and hypothesis testing of associations are presented. For example, confidence intervals have been added to the tables in the chapter on the epidemiology of youth tobacco use (see Chapter 3 ), and statistical testing has been conducted for that chapter when appropriate. The chapter on efforts to prevent tobacco use discusses the relative improvement in tobacco use rates when implementing one type of program (or policy) versus a control program. Statistical methods, including meta-analytic methods and longitudinal trajectory analyses, are also presented to ensure that the methods of evaluating data are up to date with the current cutting-edge research that has been reviewed. Regardless of the methods used to assess significance, the five causal criteria discussed above were applied in developing the conclusions of each chapter and the report.

Major Conclusions
Cigarette smoking by youth and young adults has immediate adverse health consequences, including addiction, and accelerates the development of chronic diseases across the full life course.
Prevention efforts must focus on both adolescents and young adults because among adults who become daily smokers, nearly all first use of cigarettes occurs by 18 years of age (88%), with 99% of first use by 26 years of age.
Advertising and promotional activities by tobacco companies have been shown to cause the onset and continuation of smoking among adolescents and young adults.
After years of steady progress, declines in the use of tobacco by youth and young adults have slowed for cigarette smoking and stalled for smokeless tobacco use.
Coordinated, multicomponent interventions that combine mass media campaigns, price increases including those that result from tax increases, school-based policies and programs, and statewide or community-wide changes in smoke-free policies and norms are effective in reducing the initiation, prevalence, and intensity of smoking among youth and young adults.
Chapter Conclusions

The following are the conclusions presented in the substantive chapters of this report.

Chapter 2. The Health Consequences of Tobacco Use Among Young People

The evidence is sufficient to conclude that there is a causal relationship between smoking and addiction to nicotine, beginning in adolescence and young adulthood.
The evidence is suggestive but not sufficient to conclude that smoking contributes to future use of marijuana and other illicit drugs.
The evidence is suggestive but not sufficient to conclude that smoking by adolescents and young adults is not associated with significant weight loss, contrary to young people’s beliefs.
The evidence is sufficient to conclude that there is a causal relationship between active smoking and both reduced lung function and impaired lung growth during childhood and adolescence.
The evidence is sufficient to conclude that there is a causal relationship between active smoking and wheezing severe enough to be diagnosed as asthma in susceptible child and adolescent populations.
The evidence is sufficient to conclude that there is a causal relationship between smoking in adolescence and young adulthood and early abdominal aortic atherosclerosis in young adults.
The evidence is suggestive but not sufficient to conclude that there is a causal relationship between smoking in adolescence and young adulthood and coronary artery atherosclerosis in adulthood.

Chapter 3. The Epidemiology of Tobacco Use Among Young People in the United States and Worldwide

Among adults who become daily smokers, nearly all first use of cigarettes occurs by 18 years of age (88%), with 99% of first use by 26 years of age.
Almost one in four high school seniors is a current (in the past 30 days) cigarette smoker, compared with one in three young adults and one in five adults. About 1 in 10 high school senior males is a current smokeless tobacco user, and about 1 in 5 high school senior males is a current cigar smoker.
Among adolescents and young adults, cigarette smoking declined from the late 1990s, particularly after the Master Settlement Agreement in 1998. This decline has slowed in recent years, however.
Significant disparities in tobacco use remain among young people nationwide. The prevalence of cigarette smoking is highest among American Indians and Alaska Natives, followed by Whites and Hispanics, and then Asians and Blacks. The prevalence of cigarette smoking is also highest among lower socioeconomic status youth.
Use of smokeless tobacco and cigars declined in the late 1990s, but the declines appear to have stalled in the last 5 years. The latest data show the use of smokeless tobacco is increasing among White high school males, and cigar smoking may be increasing among Black high school females.
Concurrent use of multiple tobacco products is prevalent among youth. Among those who use tobacco, nearly one-third of high school females and more than one-half of high school males report using more than one tobacco product in the last 30 days.
Rates of tobacco use remain low among girls relative to boys in many developing countries, however, the gender gap between adolescent females and males is narrow in many countries around the globe.

Chapter 4. Social, Environmental, Cognitive, and Genetic Influences on the Use of Tobacco Among Youth

Given their developmental stage, adolescents and young adults are uniquely susceptible to social and environmental influences to use tobacco.
Socioeconomic factors and educational attainment influence the development of youth smoking behavior. The adolescents most likely to begin to use tobacco and progress to regular use are those who have lower academic achievement.
The evidence is sufficient to conclude that there is a causal relationship between peer group social influences and the initiation and maintenance of smoking behaviors during adolescence.
Affective processes play an important role in youth smoking behavior, with a strong association between youth smoking and negative affect.
The evidence is suggestive that tobacco use is a heritable trait, more so for regular use than for onset. The expression of genetic risk for smoking among young people may be moderated by small-group and larger social-environmental factors.

Chapter 5. The Tobacco Industry’s Influences on the Use of Tobacco Among Youth

In 2008, tobacco companies spent $9.94 billion on the marketing of cigarettes and $547 million on the marketing of smokeless tobacco. Spending on cigarette marketing is 48% higher than in 1998, the year of the Master Settlement Agreement. Expenditures for marketing smokeless tobacco are 277% higher than in 1998.
Tobacco company expenditures have become increasingly concentrated on marketing efforts that reduce the prices of targeted tobacco products. Such expenditures accounted for approximately 84% of cigarette marketing and more than 77% of the marketing of smokeless tobacco products in 2008.
The evidence is sufficient to conclude that there is a causal relationship between advertising and promotional efforts of the tobacco companies and the initiation and progression of tobacco use among young people.
The evidence is suggestive but not sufficient to conclude that tobacco companies have changed the packaging and design of their products in ways that have increased these products’ appeal to adolescents and young adults.
The tobacco companies’ activities and programs for the prevention of youth smoking have not demonstrated an impact on the initiation or prevalence of smoking among young people.
The evidence is sufficient to conclude that there is a causal relationship between depictions of smoking in the movies and the initiation of smoking among young people.

Chapter 6. Efforts to Prevent and Reduce Tobacco Use Among Young People

The evidence is sufficient to conclude that mass media campaigns, comprehensive community programs, and comprehensive statewide tobacco control programs can prevent the initiation of tobacco use and reduce its prevalence among youth.
The evidence is sufficient to conclude that increases in cigarette prices reduce the initiation, prevalence, and intensity of smoking among youth and young adults.
The evidence is sufficient to conclude that school-based programs with evidence of effectiveness, containing specific components, can produce at least short-term effects and reduce the prevalence of tobacco use among school-aged youth.
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Cite this Page National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion (US) Office on Smoking and Health. Preventing Tobacco Use Among Youth and Young Adults: A Report of the Surgeon General. Atlanta (GA): Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (US); 2012. 1, Introduction, Summary, and Conclusions.
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Smoking and chewing tobacco products have been practiced in many parts of the world since ancient times. But everyone knows that it is harmful to health. In particular, 8 million people worldwide die prematurely every year due to smoking. Therefore, it is very important to create awareness among the people to refrain from chewing tobacco and smoking. Informative essays and paragraphs on smoking shared here can be useful for readers and help students and examinees in writing their compositions.

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Essay on Smoking & Tobacco, 500 Words

By: Haque , For class 9-10/SSC, 08-01-’22

Points of synopsis:

An ancient practice.
Smoking came in vogue in Europe in the 16th century after the discovery of America.
It is now not merely a fashion but a fact of modern life.
Evils of smoking — extremely injurious to health.
It is also a wasteful practice that involves at least 5% of the total national dividend of an advanced country like the USA.

Tobacco chewing has been practiced in many parts of the world, including the Indian subcontinent, since ancient times. But smoking started on a larger scale after the discovery of America by Columbus, i.e. early 16th century. Experts say that the word tobacco has come from the name of Tobago Island, in the West Indies, where tobacco is largely cultivated. The word ‘nicotine’, that harmful chemical which tobacco contains in a large percentage, has taken its name from the then French minister of the same name. Whatever that may be, tobacco addiction is now a widespread fashion all over the world.

There are, of course, many apologists for tobacco smoking. They say that for releasing tense nerves, tobacco is certainly a good solvent. Pursuing this mistaken notion many tender-aged boys, even girls, take to smoking. Some literature are of opinion that by supplying the fume of tobacco to the brain through smoking one can recruit one’s ideas better and produce excellent literature. In this way, misguided students smoke hard before examinations in the hope of putting up an excellent performance in answer papers. According to some others, tobacco smoking is only a diversion and consolation for the poor and hardworking laborers.

Medical men and researchers are unanimous in condemning tobacco smoking. Along with nicotine by lightening cigarette or any variant of it, one inhales poisonous chemicals that definitely and invariably shorten one’s longevity. Tobacco is nothing short of venom to these people who suffer from asthma or other respiratory ailments. About 10% of the population of the world die before their time due to tobacco smoking. Nicotine and other harmful compounds generate fatal diseases like lung cancer, blood pressure, acidity, stomach ulcer, and various other intractable ailments. By smoking five cigarettes every day one deducts five years from one’s usual span of life. Even those who are forced to smell tobacco while sitting nearby the smoker, suffer as passive smokers from fatal diseases. In short, there is nothing in a cigarette to commend it for acceptance. Yet young people are found pressing cigarettes between their lips just to look smart. According to the World Health Organization, more than 8 million people worldwide die each year as a result of tobacco use. About 8 million people die every year directly or indirectly for smoking.

It has been already said that a large number of deaths are accounted for by reckless smoking. It is no plea that some chain-smokers have not suffered from cancer. Smoking was considered by our forefathers as a kind of sin. They are justified in one sense; for it is like the path of sin that is always slippery. The vogue of tobacco often leads to alcoholic and even more fatal drug habits. Besides, tobacco smoking is nowadays a very expensive habit and, once started, it is very difficult to give up the practice. One may take the vow like Mark Twain, the American literateur of last century, who took twenty oaths a day of not to smoke and broke each of them. Thus his oath lasted only for the time between the end of one and the lightening of the next cigarette. For once tobacco smoking is taken up, it gets into the blood and it becomes difficult to get out of the addiction. So, it is always better not to start it like prevention that is always better than cure.

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Essay on Smoking: Causes, Dangers & How to Prevent it

By: Haque , Words: 480, For class 9-10/SSC

Introduction: Smoking is one of the most injurious habits. Nowadays smoking is common all over the world. This habit has been found to spread among people of all ages over the decades.

Dangers of Smoking: Smoking can cause serious health hazards. Tobacco has injurious substances including nicotine. When somebody smokes, nicotine enters into his lungs and gets mixed with his blood. Then it spreads throughout the whole body through blood circulation. Smoking cigarettes can cause serious harm to one’s lungs and larynx. It is the main cause of lung cancer. It also causes diseases like asthma, bronchitis, gastric, ulcer, and heart disease. Smoking can harm not only the person smoking cigarettes but also the people around him. The smoke released by a smoker is inhaled by people in close proximity. It is called passive smoking. Passive smoking is no less harmful than active smoking and all the dangers of smoke are also associated with passive smoking.

Reasons for Smoking: There are some intoxicating materials like nicotine in tobacco. They cause addiction. People get attracted (Stef) to tobacco smoking in different ways. First of all, advertisements by tobacco companies attract people to tobacco smoking. Secondly, smoking by actors and actresses in movies, dramas, and TV programs also attracts people to smoke. They consider smoking as a matter of smartness. Thirdly, youths and youngsters smoke being influenced by the evil company. Usually, it starts out of curiosity and then becomes a lasting habit. Lastly, children are also influenced by their smoker parents. They form acceptance of smoking in their mind and do not consider it as something harmful.

How to Stop Smoking: Smoking has been accepted as a harmful habit by governments worldwide. Many preventive measures have been undertaken in this respect by countries all over the world. Such measures include:

Banning cigarette smoking in public spaces like bus stations, railway stations, subway stations, market places, museums, Zoos, auditoriums, etc., and on public transports such as buses, trains, launches, steamers, ships, etc.
Restricting buying and selling of cigarettes publicly. Also banning the sale of cigarettes to minors.
In Bangladesh the government has enacted laws banning the advertisement of cigarettes, buying and selling cigarettes publicly, and smoking cigarettes in public places. The government has also imposed fines and penalties for the violation of these laws.
The government has also passed laws requiring cigarette companies to print warning signs on the packets of cigarettes.

What else is needed is a greater degree of awareness among people and a strong will to stop smoking. Besides, censorship should be imposed on TV programs, dramas, and movies having scenes of smoking.

Conclusion: There is no doubt that the habit of smoking can cause great harm to a person. It is harmful not only to him but also to his family and the people around him. So, everybody should try seriously to avoid smoking.

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A Paragraph on the Dangers of Smoking, 200 Words

By: Haque , For class 9-12, 07-01-’22

Smoking is a bad habit without any doubt. There are many harmful effects of this bad habit. The most dangerous effect is that it causes serious health hazards. A smoker increases the risk of being attacked with heart attack, stroke, and cancer. He usually suffers from various kinds of respiratory diseases like bronchitis, asthma, and coughing. A smoker can not enjoy a fresh breath. A bad smell comes out of his mouth that causes serious irritation to the non-smokers. Non-smokers are also harmed by a smoker when he smokes before them. It is an irony that despite knowing the bad effects of smoking, people smoke. A precautionary slogan ‘smoking is harmful to health’ is written on the cigarette packet. But smokers are unaware of it. In fact, smoking is a serious addiction. It becomes very difficult to give up this habit if someone is addicted to it. So it is better not to get habituated. Recently Government has taken some steps to discourage smoking and protect non-smokers from being affected by smokers. A law has been passed to ban smoking in public places. It is true that this effort is not sufficient to prevent people from smoking. It is necessary to raise a social campaign against smoking and make people aware of the danger of smoking.

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Smoking Paragraph, 150 Words

By: Haque , For class 7-8, 07-01-’22

Smoking is one of the most injurious habits. Nowadays smoking is common all over the world. This habit has been found to spread among people of all ages over the decades. Smoking can cause serious health hazards. Tobacco has injurious substances including nicotine. When somebody smokes, nicotine enters into his lungs and gets mixed with his blood. Then it spreads throughout the whole body through blood circulation. Smoking of cigarettes can cause serious harm to one’s lungs and larynx. It is the main cause of lung cancer. It also causes diseases like asthma, bronchitis, gastric, ulcer, and heart disease. Smoking can harm not only the person smoking cigarettes but also the people around him. The smoke released by a smoker is inhaled by people in close proximity. It is called passive smoking. Passive smoking is no less harmful than active smoking and all the dangers of smoke are also associated with passive smoking.

Smoking Essay : Causes, Harms and Ways to Quit

By: Haque | 400 Words

Introduction: Smoking is a dangerous habit that affects not only the smoker, but also those around them. It is a leading cause of preventable deaths worldwide and is linked to a variety of health problems, including lung cancer, heart disease, and respiratory illness. In this essay, we will explore the reasons why people start smoking, the harms of smoking, and ways to quit smoking.

Reasons for Starting to Smoke: There are many reasons why people start smoking. For some, it is peer pressure or the desire to fit in with a certain group. For others, it is a way to cope with stress or to feel more confident in social situations. Nicotine, the addictive substance in cigarettes, can also be a powerful lure for those who are looking for a quick and easy way to feel good.

Harms of Smoking: The harms of smoking are well-documented and extensive. Smoking is a leading cause of lung cancer, and it also increases the risk of heart disease, stroke, and other serious health problems. It can also cause damage to the respiratory system, leading to chronic bronchitis and emphysema. Secondhand smoke is also a serious concern, as it can cause health problems in those around the smoker, including lung cancer and respiratory illness.

Ways to Quit Smoking: Quitting smoking can be difficult, but it is possible with the right tools and support. Some people choose to quit cold turkey, while others prefer to gradually reduce the number of cigarettes they smoke each day. Nicotine replacement therapy, such as gum or patches, can also be helpful in managing withdrawal symptoms. Medications, such as bupropion and varenicline, can also be prescribed to help with smoking cessation.

Counseling and support groups can also be very beneficial, as they provide a safe and supportive environment for smokers who are trying to quit. Additionally, setting a quit date and having a plan in place can make it easier to quit smoking.

Conclusion: Smoking is a dangerous habit that can have serious health consequences. However, with the right tools and support, it is possible to quit smoking and improve overall health. It’s important to understand the reasons why people start smoking, the harms that it causes and the various ways to quit smoking. We all should make a conscious effort to quit smoking and lead a healthy life.

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Artificial general intelligence or agi: a very short history.

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Artificial General Intelligence, AGI concept. AI can learn and solve any human's intellectual tasks.

AGI is the new AI, promoted by tech leaders and AI experts , all promising its imminent arrival, for better or for worse. Anyone frightened by Elon Musk’s warning that “AGI poses a grave threat to humanity, perhaps the greatest existential threat we face today,” should first study the evolution of AGI from science-fiction to real-world fiction.

The term AGI was coined in 2007 when a collection of essays on the subject was published. The book, titled Artificial General intelligence , was co-edited by Ben Goertzel and Cassio Pennachin. In their introduction, they provided a definition:

“AGI is, loosely speaking, AI systems that possess a reasonable degree of self-understanding and autonomous self-control, and have the ability to solve a variety of complex problems in a variety of contexts, and to learn to solve new problems that they didn’t know about at the time of their creation.” The rationale for “christening” AGI for Goertzel and Pennachin was to distinguish it from “run-of-the-mill ‘artificial intelligence’ research,” as AGI is “explicitly focused on engineering general intelligence in the short term.”

In 2007, “run-of-the-mill” research focused on narrow challenges and AI programs of the time could only “generalize within their limited context.” While “work on AGI has gotten a bit of a bad reputation,” according to Goertzel and Pennachin, “AGI appears by all known science to be quite possible. Like nanotechnology, it is ‘merely an engineering problem’, though certainly a very difficult one.”

AGI is considered by Goertzel and Pennachin as only an engineering challenge because “we know that general intelligence is possible, in the sense that humans – particular configurations of atoms – display it. We just need to analyze these atom configurations in detail and replicate them in the computer.”

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Goertzel and Pennachin seem to contradict themselves when they also assert that the Japanese 5 th generation Computer System project “was doomed by its pure engineering approach, by its lack of an underlying theory of mind.” But maybe there’s no contradiction here because they assume that the mind is also a collection of atoms that can be emulated in a computer by the right engineering approach: “We have several contributions in this book that are heavily based on cognitive psychology and its ideas about how the mind works. These contributions pay greater than zero attention to neuroscience, but they are clearly more mind-focused than brain-focused.”

The brain-focused approach presented in the book is “a neural net based approach, trying to model the behavior of nerve cells in the brain and the emergence of intelligence therefrom. Or one can proceed at a higher level, looking at the general ways that information processing is carried out in the brain, and seeking to emulate these in software.”

This was written, of course, when the real fringe of the AI community—ignored in this 2007 book—were the handful of people (e.g., 2018 Turing Award winners Geoffrey Hinton, Yann LeCun and Joshua Bengio) who in 2007 coined the term “deep learning” to describe their machine learning approach to finding patterns in lots of data using statistical analysis algorithms. These have been called since the 1950s “artificial neural networks,” algorithms that have been presented throughout the years with no empirical evidence as “mimicking the brain.”

In 2007, the people that were the first to discuss various approaches to achieving the newly-termed “AGI” completely ignored the fringe approach to “AI” that in 2012 became the mainstream approach to AI with the successful marriage of GPUs, lots of data, and artificial neural networks. Still, the researchers previously on the fringe of AI and now the kings of the data mountain understood well the branding and marketing power of “AGI” and continued in the exalted tradition of promising the imminent arrival of machines with human-like intelligence (or superintelligence) and the possible extinction of humanity by these possibly malevolent machines.

The key person in the importation of this tradition to the new successful approach to AI was apparently Shane Legg, a co-founder of DeepMind. Legg suggested to Goertzel the term “Artificial General Intelligence” and described to Cade Metz (who quoted Legg in his book Genius Makers ) the general attitude to the subject in the AI community around 2007: “If you talked to anybody about general AI, you would be considered at best eccentric, at worst some kind of delusional, nonscientific character.”

Aspiring to build superintelligence while worrying about what it could do to humanity, Legg joined his colleague Demis Hassabis (they were exploring the connections between the brain and machine learning at UCL) to establish DeepMind. Hassabis told Legg that “they could raise far kore money from venture capitalists than they ever could writing grant proposals as professors,” Metz reports. With AGI as the stated aim of DeepMind, mentioned in the first line of their business plan, “they told anyone who would listen, including potential investors, that this research could be dangerous.”

To get to Peter Thiel, their first investor, Hassabis gave a presentation at the 2010 Singularity Conference, arguing that the best way to build artificial intelligence was to mimic the way the brain worked: “We should be focusing on the algorithmic level of the brain, extracting the kind of representations and algorithms the brain uses to solve the kind of problems we want to solve with AGI.”

There you have it. Using the term “AGI”—with its exciting connotations of both saving and destroying humanity—to get the attention and deep pockets of investors, claiming to replicate the human brain in the computer while pursuing a statistical analysis method that has nothing to do empirically speaking with how the human brain works .

Whether insisting that their approach to AI resembles the biological processes of the human brain (“connectionism”) or that they can replicate the process of human thinking in the computer (“symbolic AI”), the two key approaches to AI since the term was coined in 1955 have banked on the widely accepted notion that “ we are as gods .” This belief in modern man’s ability to conquer all frontiers, even replicate man in the machine, has been based on the centuries-old idea that humans are a “particular configurations of atoms.”

Next in my AGI Washing Series, I will offer a short pre-history of AGI.

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Laser Quit Smoking Massage by Cole Nowicki

An essay collection that explores the peculiarities of the canadian west, social sharing.

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There is 'a lot of beauty' in the Western Canadian communities that inspired writer Cole Nowicki

A series of short nonfiction pieces, Laser Quit Smoking Massage explores the peculiarities of the urban and rural centres of the Canadian West.

From prairie towns to sprawling cities, Cole Nowicki's witty, insightful, and ever curious reportage explores the evolving states of community, family and belonging. ( From NeWest Press )

Cole Nowicki is a writer and editor based in Vancouver. Hailing from Lac La Biche, Alberta, a love of skateboarding would take Cole Nowicki to British Columbia's more hospitable climate.

He is the author of Right, Down + Circle (ECW Press, 2023), was a columnist for King Skateboard Magazine , lead writer for the acclaimed documentary series Post Radical , and writes Simple Magic , a weekly newsletter about skateboarding, the internet and other means of escape.

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Preventing Tobacco Use Among Youth and Young Adults: A Report of the Surgeon General.

The 1994 Surgeon General’s Report

Tobacco Control Developments

Recent Surgeon General Reports Addressing Youth Issues

Scientific Reviews

Young People

Tobacco Use

Chapter 2. The Health Consequences of Tobacco Use Among Young People

Chapter 3. The Epidemiology of Tobacco Use Among Young People in the United States and Worldwide

Chapter 4. Social, Environmental, Cognitive, and Genetic Influences on the Use of Tobacco Among Youth

Chapter 5. The Tobacco Industry’s Influences on the Use of Tobacco Among Youth

Chapter 6. Efforts to Prevent and Reduce Tobacco Use Among Young People

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