People Should Not Smoke
By: Alyssa Gerritsma
Did you know that about 30% of the world smokes? I think that people should not smoke; it can cause cancer and other diseases, you can waste a lot of money by smoking, and it can lead to death. That doesn’t sound good does it? Cancer and other diseases, wasted money and death! It’s hard to believe that when smoking is that bad 42.1 million people still smoke! People should not smoke.
One reason why people should not smoke is that it can cause cancer and other diseases.One example is 90% of lung cancer patients developed their disease because of smoking. Lung cancer is one of the most common causes of cancer deaths in the world. Smoking is responsible for several diseases such as cancer, long-term respiratory diseases, and heart disease. Smokers also have a significantly higher risk of developing: bladder cancer, kidney cancer, throat cancer, mouth cancer, esophagus cancer, cancer of the pancreas, stomach cancer, some types of leukemia, cancer of the nose and sinuses, cervical cancer, bowel cancer, ovarian cancer, in some cases, also breast cancer. Tobacco, which is the main thing in cigarettes has Nicotine in it. Nicotine is highly addictive. Too much of this can lead to vomiting, seizures, depression of the central nervous system, and growth retardation. Another thing in tobacco is carbon monoxide, if there is enough carbon monoxide around you and you inhale it, you can go into a coma and die. Carbon monoxide decreases muscle and heart function, it causes fatigue, weakness, and dizziness. It is especially toxic for babies still in the womb, infants and individuals with heart or lung disease. Tobacco also has tar in it yes, the same tar they put on roads! That is disgusting. When you breath in the tar 70% of the tar stays in your lungs. You can test this by the handkerchief test. Fill your mouth with tobacco smoke and don’t inhale it, then blow onto the handkerchief, it will leave a sticky brown stain. Now inhale the smoke and blow onto the handkerchief, it will only leave a faint light brown stain. Smoking turns your lungs black from the tar. People should not smoke!
Another reason why people should not smoke is you waste a lot of money. Not a lot of people think about how much money you can waste by smoking, but cigarettes cost money, and if you smoke a few packs a day it really adds up. Someone at my dad’s work stopped smoking for six months and he bought a car with the money! A heavy smoker can spend $19.62 a day, $137.34 a week and, $7089.68 a year. Just on cigarettes! 7,089 dollars on just cigarettes! That is a lot of money! A light smoker could spend $45.78 a week and $2380.56 a year. Wow, that is a lot of money wasted on cigarettes. It is one thing if that is money spent on food or education, but on something that can cause cancer and other diseases! You’re basically paying thousands of dollars to destroy your body. That is crazy. People should not smoke!
Another reason why people should not smoke is smoking can lead to death. Smoking is the largest cause of death in the world. Of the 2.4 million deaths in the USA annually, over 440,000 are caused by smoking. Over 440,000 people in the USA and 100,000 people in the UK die because of smoking every year. On average, smokers die ten years sooner than non-smokers. People should not smoke!
Lots of people don’t realize how bad smoking is. But smoking can cause cancer and other diseases, is a waste of money and can lead to death. I hope after hearing this you realize how bad smoking is. That is why people should not smoke!