Smoking



While smoking is on the increase among adults, the latest news’ report indicates that increasing numbers of youngsters are taking up the habit. Perhaps the main reason for this alarming fact is the seductive advertising campaigns aimed at young people by tobacco companies. Other contributing factors include the lack of awareness on the part of school children of the dangers of smoking, and the widespread availability of cigarettes. Furthermore smoking retains an image of sophisticated maturity among young people, making the habit a magnet for those still in process of moulding themselves into what they want to be.

Firstly, one way of combat this problem would be for the government to ban all cigarette advertising in order to reverse this disturbing trend. This ban could also prohibit smoking on television and films. As a result, young people would no longer be constantly exposed to seductive images of cigarettes.
Secondly, by introducing a negative image advertising campaign, governments could place a ban on the sale of cigarettes to under eighteens, and ensure that this ban is strictly enforced. Consequently, smoking would become far too costly a habit for most young people to take up or maintain.
If measures were taken at school to warn children more effectively about the dangers of smoking, the situation might improve. Teachers could tell their students what will happen to them if they smoke and teach them about the wide variety of ailments that smoking produces. In this way, children will never want to start smoking, thanks to their knowledge of what it could do to their bodies.

All in all, I think that it would be quite easy to reduce the number of young people that smoke or even to eliminate smoking altogether, were it not for some attitudes of those who have the power to do something about it. Until they find the motivation to act, however, it seems likely that the problem will simply get worse.