Many people have become victims of cigarettes, whether it is by actually smoking them or being around someone who does. It is not a pleasant smell, and the long term effects are nothing to rant about. Many older smokers say that they started smoking at a very young age. That is why I believe that the legal age of smoking should be bumped up from 18 to 21. Even if it only stops one teenager from buying a pack, it is effective to some levels.
Many teenagers, some of age some not, will be livid about this issue. There are many arguments that they could bring to the table that proves raising the age is a lost cause. For example, many teenagers will say that they will do it anyway. They can find someone of age to buy it for them, or else they can steal some if they want it that bad. While this is true, the same answer goes for drinking as well. There will always be someone out there who is trying to break the rules somehow. However, if the smoking age is raised, many teenagers will think twice about it. There will be more cashiers checking IDs, because it is harder to pass for 21 than it is to pass for 18 when you are underage. The fear of getting caught will also be on the minds of some teenagers, which will be the deciding f

ing factor to whether or not they pick up the habit illegally.

If the age is increased to 21, there will be more teenagers who will less likely pick up the habit when they reach that age. Most teenagers do it out of peer pressure, so by the time they hit 21, they will be less likely to fall under that excuse. They will also be very busy by the age of 21 with college, a job, and other big time commitments. This leaves very little time to smoke, plus if the habit does get picked up, it will only slow them down. Also, by that time, it is more than likely they will realize that smoking is not all that great or important, contrary to what they might have thought when they were younger. It is also less likely that they will become addicted if they do start later in life, than if they started out young.

Another effective way to cut down on teenage smoking is to increase the price and tax on cigarettes. If you increase the tax to $.50 a pack, it will encourage teenagers not to waste their money on such a filthy habit. If they bought one pack a week for a year, that is 52 packages of cigarettes! The average pack sells for about $3.50, which means they would be spending $182.00 a year to kill themselves. There are a countless number of things that you could buy with that money, instead of wasting it on cigarettes. If you invested that money into a bank, think of how much money yo