Dear Future President,

Smoking is a bad habit that makes people develop diseases that may take their life. A cigarette is tobacco that you can smoke. Tobacco is considered a drug, and that it should be. It becomes addicting like any other drug can/would. On average, smokers die 10 years earlier than nonsmokers do [CDC]. That is a decade of your life lost due to smoking. There are many steps that can be taken to cut the smoking population, such as raising the legal smoking age and enforcing the laws put forth about smoking. That is exactly what I think needs to happen.

The legal smoking age in the United States is 18. Why would you be able to use tobacco before you can drink? The use of tobacco encourages use of alcohol and other drugs as well. Raising the legal smoking age is an assuring strategy to reduce the use of cigarettes and other tobacco among the people in the US. If you could be given a punishment for tobacco use or purchase under the age of 21, then you wouldn't want to smoke. According to http://www.hhs.gov/ nearly 90% of adult smokers began smoking in middle or high school. Imagine a 14 year old smoking. It is not right! If the smoking age became 21 less people would be urged to smoke and the number of tobacco users would decrease. This would be one step in the right direction.

I think that smoking manufacturers should be required to charge at least eight dollars for one pack of cigarettes. The average cost for a pack of one dozen cigarettes is $5.51. For some this may be affordable, but for others it isn't. Instead of buying things they need people are buying something that they really don't have to have. If the price is raised people may think it is an outrageous price to pay and stop buying them. It is hard for people to quit smoking, but it’s not impossible.

Cigarette smoking is the leading preventable cause of death [according to CDC]. There are about six million people that die from tobacco use every year; as well as about 53,800 people that die each year from secondhand smoke according to no-smoke.org. It is absolutely terrible that non-smokers can die from their loved ones exposing them to secondhand smoke. Smoking not only hurts smokers, but the people around the smokers.

There are solutions to help stop smoking they just need to be put into effect. Be the president to end smoking! Smokers could save money and live longer if they were non-smokers. Step by step make the people realize smoking is terrible. It is a source of pollution and it harms too many people. Average American smokers could save money and live a longer, healthier life if they cut out tobacco.

Isabella M.