Persuasive Essay: Why Do People Smoking?

1418 Words3 Pages

Why Do People Smoke?

“ In 1965 42% of the population smoked. Today, 19% of Americans do.” (Christensen). No matter how meager nineteen percent may seem; forty million is a vast amount of people. These forty million people consciously inhale smoke from cigarettes and cigars and let chemicals and toxins into their bodies. That raises the question why do these forty million people smoke and what influenced these select people to begin to smoke. Do the people using tobacco not see the hundreds of anti-smoking commercials on TV that smoking is a dangerous habit? Or do they not see the scientifically proven studies on how smoking is directly correlated to negatively affect your health? Tobacco companies provide tobacco products throughout the …show more content…

Pomerleau et al. offer the statement, “Most people start smoking as teens. Those who have friends and/or parents who smoke are more likely to start smoking than those who don’t” (Pomerleau et al.). By being around people who smoke regularly, an individual has a higher chance of becoming a smoker. That reveals smoking is not just influenced by the chemicals in the cigarettes but the community around us. Psychological studies display that people are a product of their surroundings, and humans are a product of their genes and the selected environment an individual inhabits. Despite being influenced by community and environment, tobacco companies further implant tobacco brands and smoking in the citizen’s minds through their billion dollar marketing campaigns. The tobacco conglomerates also rely on advertisements to further intrigue the population to purchase their products. “In 2011 (latest data available), cigarette companies spent $8.37 billion on advertising and promotional expenses in the United States alone, up from $8.05 billion in 2010” (“Tobacco Industry”). Tobacco companies are marketing at an exponential rate in order to attract new potential customers. Due to certain legislation tobacco companies are banned from advertising over broadcasting

Open Document