Reference

Davison, I. (2012). Tobacco company ads waste of money. Retrieved Aug 23, 2012, from http://www.odt.co.nz/news/politics/222811/tobacco-company-ads-waste-money

Hirsch, L. (2010). How Smoking Affects Health. Retired March, 2010, from http://kidshealth.org/teen/drug_alcohol/tobacco/smoking.html#

Turk, N. (2010) 2years old Indonesian child filmed smoking as parents laugh. Retired May 27, 2010, from http://www.nationalturk.com/en/2-year-old-indonesian-child-filmed-smoking-as-parents-laugh-245624562

Leo & Rosen, G. (2011). Questions About Smoking, Tobacco, and Health. Retired Nov 21, 2011, from http://www.cancer.org/Cancer/CancerCauses/TobaccoCancer/QuestionsaboutSmokingTobaccoandHealth/questions-about-smoking-tobacco-and-health-cancer-and-health

Frank, R. (2005). Smoking-Effects of Second-Hand Smoke on Children. Retired Jun, 2005, from http://www.everybody.co.nz/page-94f77840-b51e-4475-aa37-bea883947a00.aspx

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Gray, B, B. (2012) Smokers Are Still High School’s Cool Kids, Study Finds. Retired Sep 6, 2012, from http://health.usnews.com/health-news/news/articles/2012/09/06/smokers-are-still-high-schools-cool-kids-study-finds

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conclusion

To conclude my argument I must restate some of the main points that are involved with lowering the smoking age. Young teens not yet able to cope, social effects, and the extreme health conditions are compelling evidence  that further strengthens my claim that the legal age limit should not be lowered to 16. This is something that must not be implemented as the after effects on people are astonishingly harmful. 

Health, health, health....

Does this really need to be said again? The long list of health issues related to smoking is mind boggling. Why on earth do people still continue to do it knowing that it could kill them eventually and if they do not stop, the faster their health will deteriorate.  Tobacco smoking is responsible for an astounding 1 in 10 deaths worldwide. Do we really want to increase this with more deaths in the future because that’s what lowering the smoking age will do. I could recite the long list of health problems that smoking causes but it’s already been said a billion times. The pain it causes for families and their loved ones, even just thinking about it brings a tear to my eye. What is happening to society?

Fact is that most smokers start before the age of 18 and they never expected to become addicted. So we need to address the problems that cause them to start in the first place so we can fight tobacco addiction and help our youth grow up in a healthier environment. Tobacco companies aren't helping. They know that they are hurting people but they all they care about is their money and have very little compassion for those who may be affected by smoking.

It’s so much easier not to start smoking at all…

They're only teenagers...

16 years old are you kidding me? I have a hard time believing that the legal smoking age is 18 let alone contemplating lowering it to a staggering 16. A 16 year old lacks the ability to think about important decisions regarding their future as they are still in that stage where puberty is occurring and are fully unaware of the risks that smoking will have on their health both mentally and physically. This is undeniable and I can't understand why some people would want to allow something like this to happen.

They face many choices and hard decisions and by dropping the age we are practically putting the cigarettes in their mouths and lighting it up for them. The lack of people willing to teach teens about correct decision making when it comes to this kind of thing makes me sad. People as young as 2 give or take a few years have been documented smoking as much as a whopping 40 cigarettes a day! We must remember that these are our children and we need to protect them as best we can and if that means taking measures into our own hands and becoming stricter with what we teach our children then so be it.

Chain effects..

If young teenagers have the ability to purchase cigarettes then this could not only cause a problem with those who smoke them, but also those around them. If 16 year olds start buying cigarettes it couldn't be long until we have entire schools full of smokers. Wouldn't someone please think of the children.... Smoking around others effects them harshly especially in school with teachers and their classmates being surrounded with the possibility of a large number of cigarette smokers. Other students could face pressure and many could succumb and begin smoking themselves. It's unfair that big smoking companies stand to make a ton of money off young teenagers and don't particularly seem to care about what happens to them.

If younger people are smoking, it can come off as being a thing that everyone should be doing because only the cool people smoke. First we have one kid smoking a packet of cigarettes at school, next thing you know the entire country has the entire senior school population smoking cigarettes in designated smoking areas with vending machines selling packets of cigarettes. It's important that we don't ever allow anything like this to happen as the consequences can be devastating with the effects that second hand smoking brings and just think of the younger children in schools. Don't even get me started on the environmental effects....

Intro

Intro

For a long time people have been smoking cigarettes regardless of age. With the introduction of laws controlling the legal smoking age, it has been set at an appropriate 18, however some people would argue that smoking is harmless and the legal age should be lowered, but these people are clearly idiotic. 16 years of age is way too young for someone to be making the decision to smoke as they are still maturing and don’t fully comprehend the long term effect that smoking imposes.