Q1 "The Real Cost"

“Every day, more than 3,200 kids under the age of 18 smoke a cigarette for the first time. About 700 of those become daily smokers,” CNN states. The Food and Drug Administration plans on creating a campaign to target teenagers between 12 and 17 who have tried, or might try, smoking a cigarette. It’s called “The Real Cost,” and it highlights the many risks there are from smoking. There are television, radio, print, and online ads. “These ads show the costs of smoking, from skin damage to gum disease and from tooth loss to a loss of control over their lives because of from addiction,” CNN states. About 9 out of 10 regular smokers say they had their first cigarette by the age of 18. These ads rely mostly on “scare-tactics,” and for the most part actually have some effect. "We know from research that there is a group of youth -- 12 to 17 -- who are more vulnerable, partly because of the nature of their lives -- you know, chaotic lives, lots of stress, lack of control…Some live with smokers, "which dramatically increases the risk, and so we're hoping that we can potentially interrupt a deadly cycle," FDA Commissioner Dr. Margaret Hamburg says. CNN says, “Smoking as an adolescent can stunt growth, stain teeth and cause premature wrinkles, health officials say, and smokeless tobacco can cause mouth, esophagus and pancreas cancers. Studies have estimated that every cigarette smoked shaves 11 minutes off your life.” I don’t know about you, but that doesn’t sound pleasing in the least. From personal experience, many of my underage friends have claimed to only smoke while they are drinking. They say it “makes them feel even more drunk.” Is that a real thing, though? Personally, the scary ads that I’m exposed to aren’t what make me stay away from smoking. It’s the smell, the taste, the feel, and the cost of cigarettes. Who would want to put something like that in their bodies?