In 1964, the surgeon general issued a report concluding for the first time that smoking can cause lung cancer. Since then, the list of health issues correlated to smoking has only grown, and according to the New York Times last Friday, new scientific evidence has caused that list to grow even more. In addition to lung cancer and heart disease, smoking is now also scientifically linked to be a causing factor in some cases of diabetes, colorectal and liver cancers, erectile dysfunction, ectopic pregnancy, vision loss, tuberculosis, rheumatoid arthritis, impaired immune function and cleft palates in children born to women who smoke during pregnancy. Although smoking itself does not always cause these diseases, the report shows that some patients would not have had these diseases had they not smoked.

With the list of diseases directly linked to smoking continuing to grow for the past 50 years, why do people still smoke? It is an expensive habit that deteriorates health and is linked to diseases that can be fatal. And while there are more informative warning labels on cigarette packs and higher taxes on tobacco products, about 18 percent of the population still continues to smoke, according to The New York Times. Additionally, according to the report, about 31 percent of 18 to 25 year olds smoke, with a higher prevalence among males.
With this young-adult demographic affected, colleges should be taking more initiative to combat smoking on campus. There should be smoke-free campuses and more on-campus resources to help those who smoke to quit.

According to the report, smoking cigarettes costs the United States between $289 billion and $333 billion a year in health care and lost productivity in the job market due to problems associated with smoking. With numbers so high, something clearly needs to be done to combat the financial and health defects caused by smoking. But the efforts with labeling the cigarette packs with warnings and hiking up the taxes are not enough. 

The New York Times article points out that the report calls for "more vigorous tobacco-control efforts," including driving up taxes that would bring a pack of cigarettes to up to $10 on average. But despite the measures being taken, addicts will continue to smoke even if it means shelling out a few extra dollars. While increasing the price a bit may help, more needs to be done to ensure that people do not begin to smoke in the first place. By refocusing our efforts on increased access to resources to helping people stop smoking, especially to populations that have higher smoking rates, we can stop the problem at its source and prevent would-be smokers from ever having to worry about preventable health issues.
One of the major problems with smoking is that it not only affects the individual, but also affects the people around them through second-hand smoke. While smoking can be banned from public places, people are still free to do it in their own homes, regardless of whether they are living alone, with other adults or even with children. Secondhand smoke is still tremendously dangerous: it puts others at risk for a long list of health consequences, which is especially unfair to children living with adults who smoke. Secondhand smoke has been linked to causing stroke, lung cancer and coronary heart disease in adults. In children, secondhand smoke is linked to middle ear disease, impaired lung function, lower respiratory illness and sudden infant death syndrome. Educating smokers on these dangers, especially pregnant women and mothers, is critical to having a better-informed, healthier society.

One growing fad that is not helping the United States' tobacco problem is electronic cigarettes. With a target audience of cigarette smokers, e-cigarettes emit a vapor rather than the smoke you would see from a cigarette. But the e-cigarettes may come with a range of new problems. 

E-cigarettes are the same shape as traditional cigarettes, but the difference is that they are battery-powered devices that use heat to vaporize a nicotine solution. In place of the secondhand smoke seen coming off of a traditional cigarette, e-cigarettes emit a vapor.E-cigarettes have yet to undergo the same kind of studies that normal cigarettes have been through in the past 50 years. They claim to be a safer way of smoking, yet there is not currently any evidence to support that. According to a New York Times article published in the fall, not only is little known about the harmful effects of e-cigarettes on those who use them, but also little is known about the effects that the second-hand vapor has on those around the e-cigarette users.

E-cigarettes are not a solution to the cigarette-smoking problem in the United States. Rather than providing incentive to stop, they might become a bridge into smoking. E-cigarettes come in fruity flavors that may appeal to a younger audience and may get them hooked on this new way of smoking. 

If one method of smoking tobacco becomes popular and "cool," what is stopping traditional cigarettes from becoming okay? What if a person loses their e-cigarette and needs a temporary fix? Do they then turn to regular cigarettes?

Because of the way in which the e-cigarettes are marketed and the uncertainty about how they affect health, there needs to be more control over their selling and distribution. Until scientifically proven to have minimal health consequences, e-cigarette smokers should follow the same rules as traditional cigarette smokers, such as not being allowed to smoke in non-smoking areas. 

E-cigarettes might provide a gateway into regular cigarettes, exacerbating the already existent problems that are prevalent today. As more and more research is done, new consequences of smoking appear. Maybe the new e-cigarettes are not as bad as the old ones, but they still may pose serious health risks. And, more importantly, they are trying to make smoking into a trend. People want to do the "in" thing, and creating a new smoking culture is highly dangerous because it could bring back cigarettes.
Making smoking more appealing in any way, shape or form only encourages the next generation to engage in unhealthy habits. Rather than spending the money on health care or e-cigarettes, it is better to spend it on quitting and keeping the air clean for all those around.
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