2008 Woodie Awards
Snuffing out smokers on campus
Jessica Beaver
Issue date: 11/8/07 Section: opinion
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As most of us know, smoking isn't good for you, nevertheless there are people lighting up a cigarette everywhere I turn, on campus, at restaurants, bowling alleys and it's just disgusting!
It absolutely ticks me off when I am walking to one of my classes on campus and I happen to be walking behind a person that smokes. It's like breathing in car exhaust! What is so great about cigarettes anyways?
Is it spending around $4.00 on one pack of cigarettes alone? If a person smoked one pack of cigarettes everyday for a whole year, it would cost them $ 1,460.00 or more. This is money they could be spending on tuition costs if they were attending college, bills (dentist, doctor or eye doctor appointments, rent, car insurance), a down payment on a car, clothes and accessories, going to the movies or a concert, or simply going on vacation.
Is it possibly developing cancer, primarily lung cancer, heart disease or having a chronic respiratory disease because of smoking? According to wikipedia, "both direct inhalation of tobacco smoke and inhalation of second hand smoke have significant negative effects on health." The World Health Organization estimated in 2002 that in developed countries, 26% of male deaths and 9% of female deaths were attributable to smoking. In addition, people that smoke a regular basis are estimated to live 2.5 to 10 years less than nonsmokers.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), cigarette smoking is responsible for at least 30% of all cancer deaths. It is a primary cause of cancers of the lung, larynx (voice box), oral cavity, pharynx (throat), esophagus (swallowing tube connected to the stomach), and bladder, and it assists in the development of cancers of the pancreas, cervix, kidney, stomach, and also some leukemias. Smoking is accountable for about 87% of lung cancer deaths. Lung cancer is the principal cause of cancer death in both men and women, and is one of the most difficult cancers to treat. Lung cancer is a disease that can be prevented in many cases.
It absolutely ticks me off when I am walking to one of my classes on campus and I happen to be walking behind a person that smokes. It's like breathing in car exhaust! What is so great about cigarettes anyways?
Is it spending around $4.00 on one pack of cigarettes alone? If a person smoked one pack of cigarettes everyday for a whole year, it would cost them $ 1,460.00 or more. This is money they could be spending on tuition costs if they were attending college, bills (dentist, doctor or eye doctor appointments, rent, car insurance), a down payment on a car, clothes and accessories, going to the movies or a concert, or simply going on vacation.
Is it possibly developing cancer, primarily lung cancer, heart disease or having a chronic respiratory disease because of smoking? According to wikipedia, "both direct inhalation of tobacco smoke and inhalation of second hand smoke have significant negative effects on health." The World Health Organization estimated in 2002 that in developed countries, 26% of male deaths and 9% of female deaths were attributable to smoking. In addition, people that smoke a regular basis are estimated to live 2.5 to 10 years less than nonsmokers.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), cigarette smoking is responsible for at least 30% of all cancer deaths. It is a primary cause of cancers of the lung, larynx (voice box), oral cavity, pharynx (throat), esophagus (swallowing tube connected to the stomach), and bladder, and it assists in the development of cancers of the pancreas, cervix, kidney, stomach, and also some leukemias. Smoking is accountable for about 87% of lung cancer deaths. Lung cancer is the principal cause of cancer death in both men and women, and is one of the most difficult cancers to treat. Lung cancer is a disease that can be prevented in many cases.