Dear Mr. President,

When I was 7, I lost an uncle to lung cancer. When I was 10, my grandpa died because of heart disease. About 2 months ago, my great aunt died of a stroke. I loved all of these family members so much, and they all died for one reason - they smoked. And what’s sad is that the CDC recently released a report that states that, “Cigarette smoking is responsible for more than 480,000 deaths per year in the United States, including more than 41,000 deaths resulting from secondhand smoke exposure. This is about one in five deaths annually, or 1,300 deaths every day.” It also states that “More than 16 million Americans are living with a disease caused by smoking. Smoking causes cancer, heart disease, stroke, lung diseases, diabetes, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), which includes emphysema and chronic bronchitis.”

Cigarettes were first commercially sold 151 years ago hand-rolled on a farm in North Carolina. Since they were hand-rolled, not a lot could be made, and addiction wasn’t as widespread as it is now. But about 20 years later, the first automatic cigarette making machine was made, and then everyone started smoking. The percentage of smokers steadily increased after that, and according to the CDC, “In 1990, an estimated 89.9 million (50.1%) U.S. adults were smokers.” Smoking was so popular that over half of all adult Americans were smokers, and the U.S Surgeon General (the chief doctor for the country) was forced to write a report on the dangers of smoking cigarettes because it was so widespread.

Some people say smokers should control themselves, but that isn’t possible because cigarettes are highly addictive. There are some great groups out there trying to stop smoking, such as Action on Smoking and Health, American Lung Association, Framework Connection Alliance, Campaign For Tobacco Free Kids, and more, but most of these groups are underfunded, understaffed, and underpowered.

Another smaller but just as important problem smoking adds on to is littering. A lot of smokers, though all cannot be blamed, finish their cigarette and then just throw it on the ground or crush it under their shoe. This adds to the tons of litter that pollute the Earth every day, and that is a problem in itself.

Now it all comes back to the government, and more importantly, you.You are the one who has the power to start the end of smoking, and make our planet, our home, a better place for everyone and everything that lives on it. So, Mr. President, are you going to let all of humankind die in your hands, or are you going to do something about this massive problem and permanently make the Earth a better place. Smoking is bad and ruins millions upon millions of lives and must be abolished for good, and with your help we can do this together. So let’s stub smoking out!

Thank you for reading and congrats on becoming president,

Levi Hinton

Lewis Middle School