Fun fact: Acetone is an ingredient used in cigarettes. Yes, the same ingredient used in nail polish remover. Just remember, that’s what you’re inhaling (among other things) if you’re smoking cigarettes or if you’re around someone who smokes.  

Even though vaping is the new big thing, smoking cigarettes is still a big issue when it comes to some teens and adults. Every day, according to the American Lung Association, almost 2,500 children under 18 try their first cigarette. More than 400 of them will become new, regular daily smokers. Nearly two of every 100 middle school students (1.6%) reported in 2020 that they smoked cigarettes in the past 30 days.

People start smoking for lots of different reasons. Stress and pressure are a couple of the reasons people pickup this addictive habit, according to Red Oak Middle School Health teacher Coach Sarah Sledge.

The legal age to smoke is 21 in the state of Texas. In fact, two years ago, President Trump signed legislation raising the federal (nationwide) minimum smoking age from 18 to 21. 

Sledge doesn’t believe people should smoke at all. Why? Bad breath and heart disease from smoking.

Red Oak Middle School  Nurse Christy Helms agrees with Sledge about not smoking. She believes kids may think smoking is “cool,” but they shouldn’t do it. Helms thinks that smoking cigarettes is a “nasty habit” and not good for your body.

According to the Centers for Disease Control, cigarette smoking causes more than 480,000 deaths each year in the United States. Smokers are more likely than non-smokers to develop heart disease, stroke, and lung cancer. The risk of dying from cigarette smoking has increased over the last 50 years in the U.S.