“The good news is that most teens don’t smoke. And most know that it’s wrong and it’s harmful. The bad news is that almost 20 percent of teens smoke, and some of them started very young (as young as 7 years old in some cases.) In addition, a lot of teens have tried marijuana and they don’t seem to think it’s that bad for you.
An LA Youth survey of 357 teens showed that 290 (81 percent) do not smoke cigarettes, although 132 of them (37 percent) have tried it at some point. Sixty-seven (19 percent) are current smokers. Altogether a total of 56 percent of respondents have tried smoking.
In general, a lot of teens seem to look down on smokers. Despite all the actors and actresses and musicians who smoke, they don’t think it’s a cool thing. They think smokers are stupid and irresponsible. Sixty-five percent of teens (233) said that smoking bothers them, and 59 percent (213) said they had told someone to put a cigarette out.
Some teens made angry comments about smokers such as “They’re a bad example for kids.” “They are killing me.” “They’re nasty people with bad breath.” “They irritate and annoy people.” “They’re gross.” “They’re rude.” “Human skunk.” “Girl smokers are a turn-off, guy smokers are dumb.” “They smell. Not only are they killing themselves, but they have to bother other people in the process. Maybe they should make a special room for smokers so they can just go in there and smell each other’s fumes so we don’t have to worry about [them] whenever we walk out of a building.”
Others mentioned the harmful effects smokers will suffer: “They will die sooner than non-smokers.” “They obviously don’t value their life.” “They have low self-esteem because they’re killing themselves.” “I think people smoke because they have problems or they’re depressed.”
Other teens were more accepting. “They’re just like me. If they smoke, they smoke.” “They have a right to smoke.” “They don’t bother me unless they blow their smoke in my direction.” “It’s their choice to smoke.” “Just let them be.”
Considering how negatively teens feel about smoking cigarettes, it’s surprising to see that in general, teens don’t seem to think that marijuana is that bad for you. Fewer than half of teens (137 or 38 percent) have tried marijuana, though a majority (252) believe it is harmful to their health and addictive (239). But teens are confused about marijuana’s health effects. About 43 percent said it is less harmul than tobacco, while 32 percent said it was more harmful. Another 10 percent didn’t know, a further 10 percent said they seemed about equal.
Here’s some facts on those teens who do smoke
Of 67 smokers, 11 smoke cigars.
The average age they start smoking is 14. Three respondents actually started smoking when they were seven years old, the age when most kids are playing hopscotch and handball.
It made me wonder if they started smoking because they had problems. But maybe, at seven, they don’t know it’s bad for them. When asked why they smoke, smokers said they do it because their friends smoke (10 people), becuase they enjoy it (26 people) and because it helps them relax (40 people). Most smokers said they were introduced to smoking by friends (49 respondents) while 11 were introduced to it by their parents or another relative.
Of the smokers, 30 said their parents smoke, while 36 said their parents did not.
Eight people said they smoke a pack a day or more. That’s a lot of cigarettes.
The smokers mostly thought smoking harms your health (48 respondents) but seven people believed that it doesn’t. (Twelve didn’t answer the question.)
The smokers also said that smoking is addictive (47 respondents). In fact, seven people said they tried to quit but can’t. But another 16 smokers said smoking is not addictive.
Since it’s illegal for minors to buy cigarettes, it’s interesting to see how teens get their smokes:
67 percent—friends
55 percent—convenience stores
26 percent—grocery stores
13 percent—parents
13 percent—vending machines
(Numbers don’t equal 100 percent because teens often had several sources for their cigarettes).
Most smokers (44) hid their habit from their parents, while 12 did not. They hid the habit by smoking away from home (28), by smoking outside (11) or by smoking when their parents weren’t home (9).
Data compiled by editorial assistant Nancy Martinez.”