H
ave you ever noticed that the location of smoke shops are always in the same area? Litte 3-5 store outlets, and usually next to a neighborhood. The Public Health Law Center worte an article titled, “Location, Location, Location: Tobacco & E-Cig Point of Sale” that goes on to say, “youth who live or attend school in neighborhoods with the highest density of tobacco outlets or retail tobaccoadvertising have higher smoking rates” (Public Health Law Center, Jan 2019). Smoke shops are super-influencers when it comes to the youth smoke rate. This is dangerous to our communities.
Smoking causes a wide variety of diseases for adults and
children, this essay is to help prevent those diseases from taking more lives. The CDC says, “Smoking leads to disease and disability and harms nearly every organ system of the body. It is the leading cause of preventable death” (CDC, Mar. 2020). I like to emphazise “preventable” because I believe nobody should die this way.
This is the difference from a regular lung(left) to a smoker’s lung(right). Lynne Eldridge, MD, explains that when the body is alerted that toxic particles have entered its system, the body releases a special type of white blood cell that she referrs to as “garbage trucks” (Eldridge, Feb. 2020). These garbage trucks can only do so much until the particle they were sent to get rid of, turns them into toxic waste, or garbage. That’s why the lungs turn that color.
You’ve probably heard that it only costs about $0.06 to manufacture a carton of cigarettes. Although that seems cheap, the CDC says, “In 2017, tobacco companies spent $9.36 billion marketing cigarettes and smokeless tobacco in the United States” (CDC, July 2019). That’s $25 million a day, and $1 million every hour. This is money that should be spent on things that help people and communities, not destroy them.
Smoking doesn’t affect only the smoker themselves. If you’ve had a family member or friend that is a smoker, you know what I’m talking about. For myself, my grandparents on my mom's side were both regular smokers, until my grandpa passed away due to lung cancer. Seeing my gandpa suffer through that was tough, but seeing the way it affected my mom and her family was equally as sad.
Smoking doesn’t only affect the human body, it also negatively affects the world. Rinkesh, the creator of Conserve Energy Future and author of “10 Serious Effects of Cigarette Smoking on Environment and Human Health” says, “Cigarette smoking causes
environmental pollution by releasing toxic air pollutants into the atmosphere” (Rinkesh, Dec. 2017). Not only does it infect your lungs as soon as you take your first hit, it stays behind in the air so it can infect you later on.
The toxic chemicals that are released when someone smokes a cigarette destroys plants, just like they destory human’s bodies. The same chemicals that stop the body from functioning properly, makes it so the plants don’t get the nutrients they need to grow. Which in turn, affects the agriculture industry that has been a huge player in the world’s food supply since forever.
We often talk about the horrible aftermaths that tobacco smoke does to the inside of your body, but we then forget the effect that takes place outside of it. The toxic particles released leaves a residue that stays on anything it touches, causing it to take over your clothes, hair, skin, and even your car with a horrible smell.
Another less spoken result of smoking cigarettes is the effect it has on human teeth. The
chemicals reduce saliva flow in the mouth, which allows oral bacterica to stick onto the teeth and gums. Studies show that smokers are 3 to 6 times more likely to develop gum disease or periodontal disease. Common effects of these diseases are yellowing of your teeth, and teeth falling out.
American Heart Asssociation News says, “The science behind why it’s so difficult to quit smoking is crystal clear… Yet any adult can stroll into a drug store and buy a pack of
cigarettes, no questions asked” (American Heart Association News, Oct. 2018). Smoke shops
Work Cited
“Location, Location, Location: Tobacco & E-Cig Point of Sale.” Jan. 2019,
https://publichealthlawcenter.org/sites/default/files/resources/Location-To bacco-Ecig-Point-Of-Sale-2019.pdf
“Overviews of Diseases/Conditions.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 16 Mar. 2020,
www.cdc.gov/tobacco/campaign/tips/diseases/index.html?s_cid=OSH_tip s_D9389.
Eldridge, Lynne. “The Difference Between Smoker's Lungs and Normal Healthy Lungs.”
Verywell Mind, Verywell Mind, 4 Feb. 2020,
www.verywellmind.com/smokers-lungs-vs-normal-healthy-lungs-410782 9.
“Economic Trends in Tobacco.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 23 July 2019,
www.cdc.gov/tobacco/data_statistics/fact_sheets/economics/econ_facts/in dex.htm.
RinkeshA true environmentalist by heart ❤ . Founded Conserve Energy Future with the sole motto of providing helpful information related to our rapidly depleting environment. Unless you strongly believe in Elon Musk‘s idea of making Mars as another habitable planet . “10 Serious Effects of Cigarette
Smoking on Environment and Human Health.” Conserve Energy Future, 8 Dec. 2017,
www.conserve-energy-future.com/serious-effects-cigarette-smoking-envir onment-and-human-health.php.
“Why It's so Hard to Quit Smoking .” Www.heart.org,
1. “How to get to Utah Smoke Shop (Loca Tienda Smoke Shop) in West Jordan” 2. “Let’s Clear the Air - Shelby County Tobacco Cessation”
3. “SEE: This is what your lungs look like when you smoke | Health 24” 4. “Tobacco Tax Images, Stock Photos & Vectors | Shutterstock”
5. “6,248 Smoking Smoker Stock Illustrations, Cliparts And Royalty” 6. “Cigarettes Effect More Than Just You | Healthy UNH”
7. “Environmental Impact of Smoking and Tobacco use”
8. “How to Make Your Car Smell Great Again - Auto Body Shop Blog” 9. “Does Smoking Reversely Affect or Slow Down Orthodontic Treatments” 10. “Thinking of quitting smoking? Today’s the day”
