Analyzing a Trend (Second Draft)
Do Gyun Kim
Howard Tinberg
Eng 11
5/3/2010
Analyzing a Trend (Second Draft)
A decrease in tobacco usage among adolescents, over the last decade.
Despite the government’s efforts over decade to stop tobacco usage, the smoking still exists throughout today; still managing to survive all the strict enforced law from the government. For example, in April 1970, the house of Congress passed the Public Health Cigarette Smoking Act. When people turn on the TV (Television Screen), they will no longer see Marlboro man, or any commercial for cigarettes. Besides, it is not just the government who is trying to reduce smoking; there are other organizations who are putting efforts to reduce smoking as well. For example, organizations such as World Health Organization are known as one of the leading organizations trying to fight for smoking. American Legacy Foundation is also one of the active organizations trying to stop smoking. The ultimate goals of these organizations are similar, to reduce the usage of smoking, an especially from adolescents and teenagers, where they are likely to pick up smoking as habit.
According to the National Survey on Drug Use and Health by Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), “The prevalence of past month use of any tobacco product among adolescents (i.e., youths aged 12 to 17) declined between 2002 and 2008, from 15.2 to 11.4 percent” (SAMHSA). If this rate continues every year, then cigarette companies will likely to have fewer customers in the future. For example, many of adult smokers, more than half had their first cigarettes before age 18. In addition, more than half became daily smoker before that age according to U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
The above graph shows declining rates of cigarettes among adolescents, where there age groups are among the age of 12 to 17. Notice how there is no significant difference in change of smokeless tobacco and pipe tobacco.
One of the few factors of declining tobacco usage among the adolescent are an increased health education from the early ages of school. Where most of the adolescents get to understand that tobacco usage can lead to lung cancer or further health issues. Organizations like National Center for Tobacco Free Kids are helping to keep cigarettes out of school. Furthermore, many states also have increased their enforcement of the Synar Amendment. In July 1992, The House of Congress enacted the Synar Amendment to prohibit the access to tobacco products among adolescents who are under 18. The result of the enforcement was tremendous. “In 2008, the national retailer violation rate was 9.9 percent the lowest rate since the program began in 1996” (Center for Substance Abuse Prevention).
Second, factor could be the cost of the expanse for being a smoker. The one-third of the price smokers pay at the store counter are government’s taxes, and those prices aren't likely to go down. It is not just tax that is motivating smokers to quit smoking, health insurance and health benefits also plays critical roles in the aspects. According to Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, “Men who smoke incur $15,800 (in 2002 dollars) more in lifetime medical expenses and are absent from work 4 days more per year than men who do not smoke.” (Warner KE).
Third, factor is obviously health issues taking the place. Many people are becoming more aware of health problem relate to smoking. One of the well known health problems related to smoking is cancer, especially in the lung, mouth, larynx, esophagus, bladder, kidney, pancreas, and cervix. (Boffetta P)
Above picture shows a good working healthy lung tissue and diseased lung tissue where it looks lot like burned cigarette. Not to mention Smoking cigarettes kills more Americans than alcohol, car accidents, suicide, AIDS, homicide, and illegal drugs combined. Also, it is number one preventable deaths of all (Center for Substance Abuse Prevention).
The overall impact of not smoking does not just only apply smokers, it has impact for everyone in beneficial way. According to Jeffery E. Harris MD PhD, the estimate of cigarette smoking accounts for 8 percent of all health- care spending in the United States. The range of uncertainty in the estimate is from 4.2 percent to 11.5 percent. If all the person in United States quit smoking, the insurance rate of health insurance will go down dramatically and it will benefit each individual. Furthermore, it would greatly reduce health related problem for second hand smoking. This will also play the same role of bringing insurance rate down, since it would lower the overall health care spending.
In addition, reduced environmental cost will be another effect toward decreased smoking among adolescents. According to Thomas P. Holmes, a research study shows that half of the wildfire is initiated by man, mostly caused of littering cigarette. It is just not wildlife but also littering is serious problem among keeping the city’s clean. According to studies done by Johns Hopkins University, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, littering cigarette does not end from cleaning, but the future problem is also insisted. Since, these contaminants can get into soils and waterways, harm or kill living organisms and generally degrade surrounding ecosystems. In addition, government’s spending will not just end from cleaning the environment. They will be likely to spend more money on the environment as well, in order to restore the damage done by cigarettes.
Nevertheless, cigarette companies still exist, and they are still making the large amount of sales over addicted cigarette users. However, they are likely to lose more sales in the future, because they are losing customers and they are not just ordinary customers, they are the younger generations of America.
Works Cited
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, Office of Applied Studies. “The NSDUH Report: Trends in Tobacco Use among Adolescents: 2002 to 2008.” (October 15, 2009). Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. Web. 26 Apr. 2010.
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, Office of Applied Studies. “Results from the 2008 National Survey on Drug Use and Health: National Findings.” NSDUH Series H-36, HHS Publication No. SMA 09-4434 (2009). Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. Web. 26 Apr. 2010.
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, “Healthy People 2010: Understanding and improving health (2nd ed.)” (2010). Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office. Web. 30 Apr. 2010.
Warner KE, Smith RJ, Smith DG, Fries BE, “Health and economic implications of a work-site smoking-cessation program: a simulation analysis.” (1996). Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, 981–92. Web. 30 Apr. 2010.
Center for Substance Abuse Prevention, “FFY 2008 Annual Synar Reports: Youth tobacco sales.” (2009). Rockville, MD: Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. Web. 30 Apr. 2010.
Boffetta P, Hecht S, Gray N, Gupta P, Straif K, “Smokeless tobacco and cancer.” (2008). Lancet Oncol, 9:667-675. Web. 30 Apr. 2010
Jeffery E. Harris MD PhD, “Before the Committee on Ways and Means U.S. House of Representatives” (November 18, 1993). Massachusetts Institute of Technology, public documents. Web. 30 Apr. 2010
Thomas P. Holmes, Robert J. Huggeit. Jr, Anthony L. Westerling, “STATISTICAL ANALYSIS OF LARGE WILDFIRES” (2008). United States Department of Agriculture, National Agricultural Library. Web. 30 Apr. 2010