Smokin’ in the boys (or girls) room

One of the things I noticed when I came to campus was the fair amount of people who smoke. I have to say I simply do not understand why anyone would want to smoke. It makes absolutely no sense to me.

First of all, there’s the health issues involved. Why would you participate in something that essentially amounts to slow suicide? Plus, you smell like smoke, your teeth and fingers get stained and it’s just not pretty.

Another thing: what about all the people around you? Sure, people can find several ways to get on others’ nerves: listen to loud music, tap their fingers on things, press buttons for no reason, etc. However, none of these things will aggravate someone’s allergies, or, if exposed long enough, give them cancer.

Let’s examine some of the claimed benefits of smoking, too. Firstly, it makes you look cool. I have to say that no, it does not. Smoking makes you look like someone who falls for marketing and is susceptible to peer pressure or pointless rebellion. Secondly, it helps you relax. This is true enough; nicotine is a depressant, though not a very effective one. Given the health risks involved, there are definitely safer ways to wind down, such as tea and other products of that ilk.

Who knows if smoking will even last too much longer? Let’s take a look at another smoking-related trend – the Industrial Revolution. Tons of coal burning for steam power, huge smokestacks everywhere, therefore lots of smoke. And that all went out of fashion eventually, mainly because people decided they liked breathing and living in a world that still had plants.

Of course, it’s now illegal to make that much smoke. However, I don’t think it’ll be illegal to smoke tobacco products anytime soon. Here’s the reason why I think that.

The government taxes cigarettes quite a bit. In some places, it’s as high as $4.25 a pack. And most smokers are still willing to pay it. That’s the tough part about being addicted, huh? However, there is a correlation between raising cigarette taxes and decreasing the number of people who smoke. All that people who decide tax rates have to do is figure out the right amount tax: low enough to still have people who smoke pay it, but high enough that they can make a fortune off of it.

So, smokers, I don’t really understand why you do it since it seems to be bad for you in multiple ways. But you’re doing your part to help our country. Very patriotic.