Aryeh Goodaman

English 101
Prof. McCampbell
3/22/15
Causes & Effects of Tobacco Use
Today, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,
Tobacco use remains the single largest preventable cause of death and
disease in the United States. Additionally, almost one in every five people
over the age of 18 in the United States smoke cigarettes regularly (every day
or most days). Unsurprisingly, use of tobacco is responsible for one in five
deaths in the United States. Contrary to popular belief, the harm done by
smoking cigarettes does not only affect smokers. Smoking harms smokers,
non-smokers, and the environment. Smoking causes harm to society
physically and financially.
The initial cause of widespread tobacco use in the United States dates
back to 1612 in Jamestown, Virginia. The colony was struggling economically,
and had no reliable source of income to maintain it. This all changed when
John Rolfe introduced tobacco as a cash crop; causing an economic boom for
the colony, and saving it from collapse. The farming of tobacco brought in
huge profits for the colony to the point where, tobacco was even used as a
form of currency (Casey 1).

Tobacco use has had an astounding impact on American culture and

society which unfortunately lasts to this day. The glamorization of smoking in
TV, movies, and music has perpetuated the idea that smoking is cool. The
societal pressure of trying to be cool makes all people, especially teens,
susceptible to being drawn towards smoking. Nearly 9 out of 10 smokers first
tried cigarettes by age 18. Furthermore, between 2002 and 2013 almost
half (45%) of top-grossing movies in the United States were rated PG-13. Six
of every ten PG-13 movies (61%) showed smoking or other tobacco use.
The Surgeon General concluded that giving movies that include smoking
scenes an R rating would significantly reduce the risk of teens smoking (5).
Smoking tobacco causes many health hazards, makes users more
vulnerable to diseases, and increases risk of death from all causes
(Paradowski 1). The results from many studies done regarding the effects of
smoking are terrifying and saddening. One study found that on average,
smokers live ten years less than nonsmokers (Prabhat et al. 341). Possibly
the scariest hazard of tobacco use, is that it damages the immune system,
making users (and people affected by secondhand smoke) less able to fight
off disease and other health problems that are not a direct result of smoking.
In addition to the health issues directly caused by smoking cigarettes,
smoking also causes serious harm to the environment and the wildlife in it.
Studies done in 2013 and 2014 concluded that approximately 75% to 85% of
smokers litter their cigarette butts. Many smokers are under the impression
that the butts (or filters) of their cigarettes are biodegradable, and therefore

conclude that littering them should not be an issue. Unfortunately, this is a

misconception, and most cigarette filters are not biodegradable. The filters
are usually made of cellulose acetate, which is photodegradable but not
biodegradable. What this means is that over time, the filters will break down
into smaller pieces, but never fully disappear (Witkowski 4-5). This may
actually be even worse than if they did not degrade at all, because after the
filters break down into small pieces, they spread out in water or soil and can
be damaging and sometimes to deadly to wildlife that ingest them.
Cigarette companies are obviously heavily invested in people buying
tobacco products, and as a result care more about making money than the
health and safety of people, animals, and the environment. In 2011, the
tobacco industry spent nearly $23,000,000 each day advertising and
promoting tobacco use to the American people. Additionally, the taxes
brought in from the sale of tobacco products does not even come close to
the amount of money it costs the United States in medical care and lost
productivity. State and federal governments are not doing nearly enough to
fix this extreme issue. Currently, no states fund tobacco prevention programs
even at the minimum recommended level, despite having more than enough
to fund them using taxes from tobacco product sales.
In conclusion, many large steps need to be taken in order to fully solve
the problems that tobacco use cause. The effects of tobacco use are directly
related to sustaining human life, animal life, and earth. Tobacco use will not
stop overnight, and it will likely not stop within a few years. Despite this, the

least we can do is be informed on the issue, and inform others when we can.
Smokers should make sure to throw away cigarette butts appropriately, and
ideally should attempt to quit for their own sake, and the sake of others.
Hopefully this deadly problem will be solved in the not too far future. In the
words of the United Nations Panel of Global Sustainability, The opportunities
for change are vast. We are not passive, helpless victims of the impersonal,
determinist forces of history. And the exciting thing is that we can choose our
future (Weisser 263).

Works Cited
1. Wenjau Lee, Chih Chun Lee, Developmental toxicity of cigarette butts
An underdeveloped issue, Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety,
Volume 113, March 2015, Pages 362-368, ISSN 0147-6513,
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ecoenv.2014.12.018.
(http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0147651314005739)
2. Witkowski, Jill. "Holding Cigarette Manufacturers And Smokers Liable
For Toxic Butts: Potential Litigation-Related Causes Of Action For
Environmental Injuries/Harm And Waste Cleanup." Tulane
Environmental Law Journal 28.1 (2014): 1-36. Environment Complete.
Web. 22 Mar. 2015.

3. Paradowski, Robert J., PhD. "Smoking's Effects On The Body." Salem

Press Encyclopedia Of Health (2012): Research Starters. Web. 22 Mar.
2015.
4. Jha, Prabhat, Chinthanie Ramasundarahettige, Victoria Landsman,
Brian Rostron, Michael Thun, Robert N. Anderson, Tim Mcafee, and
Richard Peto. "21st-Century Hazards of Smoking and Benefits of
Cessation in the United States." New England Journal of Medicine 368
(2013): 341-50. The New England Journal of Medicine. Web. 23 Mar.
2015.
<http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMsa1211128#t=article>.
5. "Tobacco." Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention, 3 Feb. 2015. Web. 23 Mar. 2015.
6. Diana, M. Casey. "Roots Of Tobacco Farming In North America." Salem
Press Encyclopedia (2014): Research Starters. Web. 23 Mar. 2015.
7. Weisser, Christian R. "Resilient People, Resilient Planet: A Future Worth
Choosing." Sustainability: A Bedford Spotlight Reader. Boston:
Bedford/St. Martin's, 2015. 263-269. Print.