Some people wonder nowadays if smoking is still a problem among teenagers. The answer is yes. In fact, smoking should be titled “Top 1 teenagers’ most favorite hobby” in all articles and magazines. Teenagers have more access to smoking today than they have ever had, and very few teens understand the physical dangers that come with smoking. We can no longer say “Who cares? Teenagers will be teenagers,” because this problem is becoming more and more serious as the days pass.

From regular tobacco cigarettes, to weed, to flavored vapes, to weed pens, and to many more, teenagers have tons of options to choose from whenever they are deciding what they will like to smoke for the week. The craziest part about it all is how easy it is to purchase these things. Teenagers could walk into a smoke shop and even go online and purchase a vape easily. They are affordable and nobody really cares to I.D them. As stated by Arielle Duhaime-Ross, in an article from The Verge, “Despite the state's e-cigarette age-verification law, more than 90 percent of vendors failed to verify the ages of teenagers who bought e-cigarettes online.” Online shopping is not only unmonitored, but as long as you can pay, you typically can get whatever you want, including illegal substances and e-cigarettes, vapes, and THC products. I have personally seen a huge jump in the usage of these items in the last 4 years.

Teenagers don’t realize the physical impact that smoking has on their bodies. Teenage years are fundamental to a human’s body and mind. For teenagers, this is when their development finalizes and smoking affects and slows down this process. Articles such as those by the NIH, explain that “Smoking during adolescence increases the risk of developing psychiatric disorders and cognitive impairment in later life. In addition, adolescent smokers suffer from attention deficits, which aggravate with the years of smoking”. Meaning that the effects of smoking have more than just the physical danger that everyone talks about like lung cancer, heart diseases, and just overall visible sickness. There is so much more than the physical effects that are so important because they are related to the brain, to the mental health and well-being of growing teenagers that deserve the chance to grow up without any problems. In addition to the physical ailments mentioned, smoking increases anxiety, depression, lack of motivation, and having to deal with withdrawal at a young age is difficult.

Parents, teachers, and guardians, it is about time to stop the abuse of nicotine, tobacco, and weed among teenagers. Pay more attention, and help before it is too late. Provide help by making yourself a person to trust, educate yourself to know the effects, and be the wise person these teenagers need to help them and possibly save their lives. Even though this may seem like a difficult issue that doesn’t get fixed overnight, we can all agree that the first step is shifting your mindset and wanting to help in the first place.