Essay on What's a Title?

Submitted By RMGarrett04
Words: 1218
Pages: 5

Ryan Garrett
Watkins
Comp II
February 18, 2013
Behind the Smokescreen

In The Deadly Allure of a Smoke, Malindi Corbel gives a very accurate description of why people start smoking tobacco and also gives a few examples on how to quit. Most people start smoking at a young age which makes the appeals of smoking especially attractive to teenagers. Malindi explains this very well throughout her report and also gives personal experiences. One thing she could have touched more on is bans on tobacco and how they might affect people. She also could give more description on how to quit. Smoking is a big issue amongst the U.S. and has many attractions, many consequences if banned and also many reasons to quit. Smoking appeals to teenagers simply because that is when most people start. However, some draws will attract anyone. “Some people like the flavor and the taste of tobacco. Some enjoy the nicotine that gives them that slightly euphoric feeling. Some use it to relax themselves. Many say it is because they are addicted to the nicotine, but some say it is a psychological satisfaction that they can’t really explain at all” ( The Strange Appeal of Smoking Tobacco 4). These are a few of those charms that could affect anyone. A lure that is keen to bringing in teens would be the social status received from smoking. It is clear in the average high school that he more popular kids smoke. There is no clear reason behind this. Perhaps the “it” crowd of a previous class did the same. If this is the true reason, then what has been created is an endless chain of kids who start smoking simply to achieve some level of popularity. Another teen magnet to smoking would be the rebelliousness of doing something dangerous and hiding it from parents. This is perhaps the biggest appeal of all. Kids at the age of sixteen to eighteen want to feel older and like they do not have to listen to adults. Smoking is a way of saying “nobody controls me” in the minds of kids this age. One huge issue in the debate of smoking is what exactly bans would do if set on tobacco products. An obvious outcome of tobacco bans would be the overall increase in the health of people nationwide. “A ban or higher taxation in practice will lead to less smokers, especially protecting the families of smokers and other non-smoking citizens from potential health risks and premature death” (This House Would Further Restrict Smoking 1). This improvement would help smokers most of all, but also might help those who are affected highly by secondhand smoke, such as the family and friends of smokers. However, some say that bans on tobacco could open up a whole list of issues regarding black markets. “The lesson of prohibition of alcohol in America in the 1920s was that banning a recreational drug used by a large proportion of the population merely leads to crime and contraband” (This House Would Further Restrict Smoking 2). This is not necessarily true; times have changed. Most smokers are regular law-abiding citizens and would most likely not resort to illegal activity just for a smoke. The only real worry in tobacco bans is the increase of the draw of rebellion for teenagers. This also might not be a huge problem being that teens will have a much more difficult time trying to obtain tobacco. However, smoking will still probably never be banned. The real reason behind this is all the trouble the government would have to go through to actually succeed in banning it completely, not to mention the massive setback it would cause in the economy by wiping out all the jobs in the tobacco industry. Tobacco is a big part of America, and most likely always will be. With the banning of tobacco being out of the question, what remains is how to really get a person to stop smoking. This can be a long, difficult process. One thing to remember is not to force a smoker into quitting. This could ignite the appeal of rebellion all over again. The most a person could do to begin is simply show