Should smoking be raised to the age of 21? I believe so, did you know that 95 per cent of all adults start smoking before they turn 21? What I want to share with you is why I believe the age should be raised to 21. First, I’m going to present, Increasing the tobacco age to 21 will help to prevent young people from ever starting to smoke and to reduce the deaths, disease and health care costs caused by tobacco use. Then I’ll share with you the young adult market aged 17-20 and how they believe they have to smoke to fit into the teenage group and how this can affect their later on life, followed with a study to back my arguments up. Finally, I will be showing the costs of smokes and how they can affect the everyday life.
Increasing the minimum sale age for tobacco products to 21 or any age higher is an important strategy to reduce and or stop smoking and other tobacco use among youth and save lives and the risk of people taking on smoking when there young. Raising the sale age to 21 complements other strategies to reduce tobacco use, including higher tobacco taxes, strong smoke-free laws that include all workplaces and public places, and well-funded, sustained tobacco prevention and cessation (the fact or process of ending or being brought to an end.) programs towards young people in our community.
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We all know smoking is bad for us, correct? But increasing the limit to the age of 21 will help younger groups (early teens) from smoking at all. This will also reduce the limit of deaths, diseases and health care cost caused by tobacco use. According to the world health organisation, Teens who smoke are three times more likely than nonsmokers to use alcohol, eight times more likely to use marijuana, and 22 times more likely to use cocaine. Smoking is associated with a host of other risky behaviours, such as fighting and unprotected sex.
We all know nowadays teenagers smoke just to be “cool” and fit in, but they don’t know the damages they're doing to their body’s. By raising the smoking limit to 21 we will see changes in the local crime. This due to addiction to smoking. A study created by the World Health Organisation has found that increasing the tobacco age will no doubt reduce the number of teens and young adults who start smoking, reduce smoking-caused deaths and immediately improve the health of teenagers and young adults and young mothers who would be blocked from smoking as well as their kids/friends and family.
The young adult market is a market for younger adults/late teen ages between 17-20 year old. Philip Morris reported on January 21, 1986, quoting “Raising the legal minimum age for cigarette purchaser to 21 could be our key for young market” for those who don't know who Philip Morris is, he is a leading cigarette and tobacco manufacturing company, and if Philp push for the safety of our market instead of his bank account balance, you know its important. Just think about it, raising the age of smoking to 21. Would potentially fix everything. Health issues, addiction, money and you will live longer, it’s been proven that On average, smokers' life expectancy is 10 years less than non-smokers. And Cigarette smoking is responsible for more than 480,000 deaths per year in the United States. Like that’s incredible don’t you think? why would you wanna be one of those 480,000 people? I know I wouldn’t.
Research shows that kids often turn to older friends and classmates as sources of cigarettes. Increasing the tobacco age to 21 would reduce the likelihood that a high school student will be able to legally purchase tobacco products for other students and underage friends. “
This paragraph out of the tabacoofreekids.org is 100% true, as being a student studying year 11 in high school I can relate to this, students at our school turn to their older friends as sourcing for their cigarettes and raising the limit will prevent high schools from accessing smokes, due to the maturity difference from age 18 and 21 the maturity difference is completely different and raising the limit could potentially stop smoking in high school and schools in general. A fact about smoking is about 350 kids under the age of 18 become regular smokers each day, one in three will eventually die as a result so let's stop this madness.
I know people always question that it should stay at the age of 18. because smokers “know the risks”, and once your an adult you make your own choices. But what if you start as a young teenager? What if you want to stop before you become an adult? Yes, it's very hard to quit, we know this from all the ads located on tv programs on how to quit smoking. Yes, when you turn 18 you are officially an adult, you can do whatever you like. But research has found that your brain doesn't fully mature until the age of 25, imagine all the damage you could do to your brain if you start smoking at the age of 16? Yes, a lot. To think of all the health issues you'll have when your older, your basically setting up yourself to ruin your future. So why start now? National data shows that about 95 per cent of adult smokers begin smoking before they turn 21, ages of 18 to 21 are also a critical period when many smokers move from experimental smoking to regular, daily use.
Prices of smoking and tobacco, Have you seen the prices of tobacco and smokes? It’s between $30-50 dollars a packet when a company spend about 4-5 cent producing one! Did you know, the average smoker spends between $10,000-$11,000 per year that’s $50,000 in 5 years.
That’s $50,000 you could have in your pocket, according to the BetterHealth.vic.gov.au if you stop smoking for one day you save $36 dollars, that's $1100 if you stop smoking for a month! Just think what you could buy with that extra money you've saved, you could go away for a weekend, cover your petrol costs for a few months, or buy a new computer or TV. The health benefits of not smoking for one month on the BetterHealth website is your heart is working more efficiently exercising is easier your immune system is starting to recover. Just think of the benefits your body will have when you've stopped for a year!
Smoking has no benefits only risks that are basically guaranteed to happen, like cancer, and years off your life on average smoking decreases your life expectancy by 10 years, would you like to die 10 years earlier or enjoy your later life with a family and not making stupid decisions when you were young? You tell me.
So, we all know the risks of smoking and smoking at a young age so why support it? I believe they should increase the age to 21 because it'll fix health issues in young adults and teenagers it will also stop smoking in high schools and schools in general it will stop young teens becoming violent, and doing other dangerous drugs, it'll fix the young adult market, and it'll save you heaps of money that you could spend instead on your family.. So why start smoking when you know the damages it does to your body?
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