Cigarettes are deadly to all types of people, from big or small, adult or infant. We think we we know all the facts, but there are still things the tobacco industry is hiding from us. They are hiding different chemicals in their products and targeting one of the most innocent groups--children.  Slowly, the tobacco industry is taking control of the U.S. They have befriended some government officials and are giving them money, so that they will in turn support the tobacco industry. The tobacco industry has also hurt and killed many nonsmokers. With the tobacco industry’s pursuit to take control, I will not give in. The tobacco industry needs to be shut down because of all the bad things they are doing to innocent people. Are you with me?

Everyone knows that cigarettes are bad for you, yet people still choose to smoke.  Maybe if they listened to a trusted source like the CDC they might change their mind.  Let's start with one of the most startling facts. The Center of Disease Control has stated, "Since the 1964 Surgeon General’s Report, 2.5 million adults who were nonsmokers died because they breathed secondhand smoke" (CDC). These 2.5 million adults are innocent people that have died at the mouth of a cigarette. Is this fair to all these people?  Of course not. The CDC also reports that "a couple of breaths of second hand smoke can cause lung cancer" (CDC).  That means that a couple of breaths can cause life problems in someone else's family. Can you only imagine what it would it be like for you to get lung cancer because you breathed some secondhand smoke? You would have spent so much money on medical care and it would take a toll on one's morale. Adding to that, the CDC has declared that, "families who have a smoker in the household have an increased risk in heart disease by 25-30% and in stroke by 20-30%" (CDC).  Why do all the children and the spouses have to suffer for the bad habit that their parent or spouse has?  All these people have a better chance of dying than living in a nonsmokers house. My mom and dad both lived in a smoker’s house and are probably more susceptible to diseases then me. It is scary to think that my parents can get lung cancer a lot easier than anyone else. I don’t think it is fair for them to have to had lived in a house like that. How is this fair to the other families?

Everybody knows that smoking hurts all people of any age. From young to old everyone gets affected, but who does the tobacco industry want to get the most? Tobacco Free Maine declared that the “Tobacco industry has targeted the youth.” ("Tobacco Industry"). As a kid myself, I know I make bad decisions. All kids do. A kid could easily see an advertisement and try smoking, but could you imagine if the advertisement is in kid magazines? Well imagine it, Tobacco Free Maine has emphasized that the “tobacco companies have placed cigarette advertisements in the youths magazines.” ("Tobacco Industry"). So, not only do they get pressured by billboards or if they pass by a sign, the youth can get pressured by the advertisements in their magazines. How is this fair to the children who get taken advantage of by advertisement and pick a bad habit that will harm them and their future family? In addition, Tobacco Free Maine has proclaimed that U.S. District Judge, Gladys Kesseler has reported that cigarette companies continue to deceive the public by “recruiting new smokers (the majority of whom are under the age of 18), preventing current smokers from quitting, and thereby sustaining the industry” ("Tobacco Industry"). This evidence supports the fact that the tobacco industry is just targeting youth so that they can get money to sustain the industry. So basically, the industry is doing all of this bad stuff for money. The industry is giving the next generation bad habits that can kill them and their future families. With all of the facts, why do people support this industry? It honestly comes down to addiction. The industry knows that the youth get addicted more easily than adults because the youth's brains are developing. All in all, the industry should be stopped from this slanderous action. Cigarettes should be banned because of their bad consequence they cause.     

People smoke all the time, even though they know it’s bad. I always think if they know it’s bad, why do they continue to smoke? I looked to The American Cancer Society for answers. The ACS said that it is “addiction, commonly started in teen years” (ACS Team).  Addiction has been a big problem for years. People can't stop what they are doing because of addiction, even if they want to. I feel that the tobacco companies are taking advantage of people because they can't stop using their product. This made me think, what causes this addiction? The ACS answered with “nicotine being the addictive substance”  (ACS Team). The fact that angers me the most is that the cigarette companies put something in the cigarettes that makes it addictive. Why isn't there a ban on nicotine and why hasn't the government tried to stop this? Nicotine made me wonder, what else has nicotine in it that the tobacco industry is selling? The ACS responded with “nicotine being in cigars and smokeless tobacco”  (ACS Team). This angers me. Why hasn't the government done anything about this? Why doesn't the tobacco industry stop? The tobacco industry is putting addictive substances in their products and killing people for money. We need to put a stop to this action. People won't be able to stop with nicotine in cigarettes. It needs to go. Nicotine should be banned. 

Is the tobacco industry tricking people? We know how bad their products are and their consequences, so what are some other products that the tobacco industry can deceive people with? The Connecticut Government has stated that “Bidis, a form of cigarettes, can give you a risk for oral, lung, stomach, and esophageal cancer” (Connecticut Government). What the Connecticut Government is trying to say is that the tobacco industry is not only trying to target people with cigarettes but with other forms, as well. These forms also aren't any better than the cigarettes themselves. But it does not stop there. The Connecticut Government has also declared that “smokeless tobacco, a form in which one chews tobacco, has the same risks as cigarettes” (Connecticut Government). Basically, the things that people use to substitute cigarettes are not better at all for them as compared to the cigarettes themselves. People are getting deceived by the tobacco companies everyday because people think it is healthier. The problem is that people get hoodwinked by other products that seem more promising than cigarettes. The Connecticut Government has also communicated that “e-cigarettes are a non-tobacco product that contains nicotine and harmful chemicals” (Connecticut Government). So not only are people getting entrapped by tobacco products but are getting enmeshed with electronic cigarettes that are packed with chemicals and nicotine that is just as addictive as regular cigarettes. The tobacco industry has endeavored to find ways to dupe people into other ways of smoking that are all harmful in the end. The truth is the only way to not have the effects of tobacco and products of that sort is to cease their habit of smoking and using  tobacco products completely.  

This isn’t going to happen when US government officials are helping the tobacco industry. The US government officials are not preventing cigarettes, but promoting them. Some people might say that the government is preventing cigarettes through laws and policies. They say that the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act is preventing tobacco advertisement, manufacturing, and distribution (“Products, Center For Tobacco”). That is wrong, because Mike Pence, the Vice President himself, is a tobacco industry promoter. Josh Israel, the project coordinator for Center for Public Integrity, has reported that “Mike Pence has received more than $100,000 dollars, for his campaign, from cigarette companies” (Israel). If the new Vice President has received money from the tobacco industry, then how will prevention of tobacco happen? Mike Pence has not only taken money from the cigarette companies, but has also promoted them. Josh Israel continues with saying that in one debate, “when Pence was running for an open house seat, his democratic opponent slammed him for his contributions to the cigarette companies. Pence openly said that cigarettes have no link to lung cancer and death” (Israel). Mike Pence admitted to getting aid from the tobacco companies and he promoted them, with saying that cigarettes pose no harm. With the facts clearly stating that death and lung cancer are linked to cigarettes, Mike Pence is  lying just to get money for his campaign. Josh Israel would like you to know that “Mike Pence received 5-10 thousand dollars from the cigarette companies after the debate” (Israel). This clearly shows that our government officials aren't working against the tobacco industry, but are working for them. How will we ever stop the tobacco industry from taking over? The next four years of Trump and Pence will be a season of promoting cigarettes, just to fill their pockets. If this continues, there will be no way to stop the tobacco industry from getting stronger over the years. The government is not helping our push against the tobacco industry, but working for them.

The tobacco industry has been killing people one by one for their own greedy bank accounts. The government is not preventing nicotine and cigarettes to protect the next generation. They have killed many nonsmokers and have targeted the youth with their products. They have also created other products, equally as addictive, to trick people into using their products. With parts of the government on their side it is up to us to stop this action. Protesting and and getting more people on our side is vital. With the tobacco industry being responsible for many deaths and and diseases, they need to be shut down.