Should College Students Smoke?

Students start smoking even when they know that it is nothing good but harmful to their health. Smoking causes a number of health problems that eventually results in death. According to the Cancer Association of South Africa, drug statistics show that 25 000 people die annually of smoking-related illnesses in the country (Christian Drug Support, 2013). There are certain reasons why college students take up smoking. The big question is whether college students should smoke or not and what effects does smoking causes?

There are many reasons behind this occurrence of smoking among students. To begin with, students smoke to gain adult status, as they know more of adult smokers and they think it is an adultery activity. They also think that smoking will help relieve stress, especially at school. “When teenagers get depressed and want a relief from stress, they find it in a packet of cigarette” (McEwen et al, 2006). Moreover, some students smoke because of curiosity, they want to experience the things that their elders do not want them to do. Some consider smoking as a social activity. Hence, students become friends after sharing a cigarette and others start smoking from a social gathering. Last but not least, family problems also play a major role in this phenomenon. Other students take up smoking because they want to forget about some family problems. Smoking parents are most likely to have smoking children, as they look up unto them (Raoul, 2012).

This section will look at the consequences of smoking. It starts as a way of having fun, but ends up as an addiction that is not easy to let go of. As a result, smoking causes cancer and other respiratory diseases such as heart diseases, emphysema and asthma. It is believed that people who are close to the smoker will always be affected. Professor Steyn believes that non-smokers will always be exposed to the second-hand smoke, no matter how considerably a number of smokers decrease (health24.com, 2013). Thus, smoking is a waste of money, some students end up stealing when they cannot afford a cigarette or to satisfy their habit. One more effect is that, whenever the addict craves for a cigarette, she changes behaviour and act angry and strange.

However, some authors do not find smoking among students as bad and life taking beast. It is argued that most bright students and passing ones are those that are smoking. Smoking improves a student`s thinking capacity, hence higher nicotine cigarettes produce greater improvements and that helps students to excel in their studies (Warburton & Wesnes, 2004). So then, the most dangerous phenomena that threatens life, is said to be lowering the risk of obesity. According to Worstall (2011), nicotine reduces obesity as it is a substance that keeps you awake and gives you energy, also reduces appetite. Worstall (2011) also argues that, smoking can prevent teenage pregnancy as he discovered that it lowers chances of being pregnant for female smokers. Non-smokers are said to have high risk of getting ulcerative colitis, than current smokers (Lorusso et al, 1989).

On the whole, students should not smoke because smoking has the potential to become a long term problem, and it also kills. Besides the positive effects it causes, it is still not good for students. The best way to keep students away from smoking is to make sure that they do not even start. Also Rajoaui (2012) believes that the best solution is prevention, and he refers to the proverb that says “prevention is better than cure”.