This means that the tobacco companies are focusing their attention on getting young people to try cigarettes. This age group does not necessarily understand the dangers of smoking. In effect, it is up to uninformed kids to say that they would or would not like to try cigarettes. Furthermore, the advertising is everywhere one goes, including most magazines readily available to teens. Teens are attracted to smoking because of the advertising that can be seen in many places. Thousands of teens are also pressured into smoking by their peers, and they give into the urge. According to the U.S. Smoking Statistics, "…more than 6000 people under age 18 try a cigarette each day, and each day more than more than 3000 persons under 18 become daily smokers" (p.1). This means that thousands of teens today are becoming smokers. Teens should be concerned about a decision to do something that affects their health and the health of others. Furthermore, many daily smokers probably started smoking in their early teens. Teens who start smoking know little or nothing about the harms of cigarettes when they are younger. According to the U.S. Smoking Statistics, "…50% of smokers begin tobacco use by age 14; and 25% begin their smoking addiction by age 12 (the sixth grade)" (p.2). This reveals without further doubt that too many teens and pre-teens are starting to smoke. Tobacco companies are influencing them to start smoking before they know what they are doing.

A final reason smoking should be avoided is the impact that such a habit has on one’s aesthetic attractiveness. Smokers who start during their teen years accumulate negative effects on their physical beauty. According to Rachel Ellis, "Dermatologists have found premature wrinkles on the faces of smokers as young as 20" (p.1). In essence, smokers can develop premature wrinkles, which can lead to moderate or even severe wrinkles later on in life. Furthermore, the earlier one starts smoking, the earlier one gets these unwanted wrinkles. As Ellis contends, these wrinkles should be considered one of the smoking health risks. In addition to wrinkles, smoking also causes tooth decay. The author of the periodical, The Smoker’s Body, claims that smoking disrupts the chemistry of the mouth: "Smoking interferes with the mouth’s chemistry, creating excess plaque, yellowing teeth and contributing to tooth decay" (p.3). The problem is that smoking does not have a neutral effect on one’s mouth. Smoking renders your mouth gradually defenseless against plaque, yellow teeth, and tooth decay. Furthermore, smoking is also a contributor to the discoloration of the fingers and the fingernails. The author of The Smokers’ Body reveals that the fingers and their nails are tar collectors when smoke is released by cigarettes. He notes, "The tar in cigarette smoke collects on the fingers and fingernails, staining them a yellowish- brown" (p.4). He claims that the tar from cigarettes accumulates on the fingers and nails. It turns them into disgusting objects on one’s hands. In short, smoking is something to avoid if one does not wish to disfigure one’s body.

Smoking is a horrible, hazardous health problem that needs to be resolved right away, both by individuals choosing not to smoke and by stricter regulations in public places. Today, when one goes to restaurants, one is asked to sit in either the smoking or non-smoking section. Nevertheless, the fumes from the smoking section often permeate into the space occupied by non-smokers as well. Also, when one is walking in a public area such as a park, one frequently passes or is passed by a smoker. The second-hand smoke flows into one’s lungs and increases one’s affinity for devastating physical disorders. Almost everywhere one goes, there exists the chance of finding a smoker with a cigarette, causing a problem that one should not have to worry about.

Steven Weingarten is a contributor to The Rational Argumentator. Paul Newman, Michael Mazur, and Michael Gonzalez are his associates in research who have assisted in the preparation of this work.