3 pages due by 7 hours

▸ Smoking and Adolescents— The Continuing Problem The rate of smoking in the United States has

been reduced by approximately one-half since the 1960s. However, the rate of smoking among

teenagers increased in the 1980s and 1990s, especially among teenage females. This raised concerns

that young women would continue smoking during pregnancy. In addition, it was found that nearly 90%

of adults who smoked started before the age of 18, and in many cases at a considerably younger age. In

the 1980s and most of the 1990s, cigarette smoking was advertised to teenagers and even preteens, or

“tweens,” through campaigns such as Joe Camel. In recent years, a series of interventions directed at

teenagers and tweens was put into effect. These included elimination of cigarette vending machines,

penalties for those who sell cigarettes to those under 18, and elimination of most cigarette advertising

aimed at those under 18. In addition, the Truth® campaign aimed to convince adolescents, who often

see smoking as a sign of independence from their parents, that not smoking is actually a sign of

independence from the tobacco companies who seek to control their behavior. Evaluation studies

concluded that these interventions have worked to reduce adolescent smoking by about one-third.

Despite the successes of the early years of the 2000s in lowering the rates of cigarette smoking among

adolescents, the rates have now stabilized at over 20%. Evidence indicates that adolescents who smoke

generally do not participate in athletics, more often live in rural areas, and are more often white and

less often African American. Males and females smoke about the same amount overall, but white

females smoke more and Asian females smoke less than their male counterparts. New drugs taken as

pills have recently been shown to increase the rates of success in smoking cessation among adults

despite side effects. This is not the situation in adolescents because of increased potential for adverse

effects, including suicide. A series of interventions has been suggested for addressing the continuing

problem of adolescent smoking. These include: ■ Expulsion from school for cigarette smoking ■ Focus

on adolescents in tobacco warning labels ■ Selective use of nicotine gum and patches to help with

withdrawal ■ No smoking rules for sporting events, music concerts, and other adolescent-oriented

events ■ Fines for adolescents who falsify their age and purchase cigarettes ■ Higher taxes on tobacco

products ■ Rewards to students in schools with the lowest smoking rates in a geographic area ■ Higher

auto insurance premiums for adolescents who smoke ■ Application of technology to reduce the quantity

of nicotine allowed in tobacco products to reduce the potential for addiction ■ Testing of athletes for

nicotine and exclusion from competition if they test positive ■ Provision of tobacco counseling as part of

medical care covered through insurance The National Academy of Medicine has recommended that the

age for purchase of cigarettes be raised from 18 to 21 years.a