Why Quit

Youth Tobacco Use

The human brain is not fully developed until the age of 25, and some of the most critical developments happen during teenage years. Use of any addictive substance during this time can alter how the brain develops. Nicotine, found in traditional tobacco products like cigarettes and e-cigarettes or vapes, affects teens more than it does adults. Using nicotine as a teenager can lead to:

  • Use of other addictive substances
  • Lower impulse control
  • Greater inability to focus
  • Depression
  • Anxiety

Smoking by teens and young adults can cause serious and potentially deadly health issues immediately and into adulthood. Risks include reduced lung function and growth, and early cardiovascular disease.

The Tobacco Industry is not your friend. Secret tobacco documents reveal they intentionally target teens as “replacement smokers” for their customers who die from tobacco use. Want to trust a product that comes from companies who know their product will make you really sick and kill you? 

“Today’s teenager is tomorrow’s potential regular customer, and the overwhelming majority of smokers first begin to smoke while still in their teens …The smoking patterns of teenagers are particularly important to Phillip Morris.”

– Phillip Morris, (source: Special Report, “Young Smokers: Prevalence, Trends, Implications, and Related Demographic Trends.” 1981)

 

“We are, then, in the business of selling nicotine, an addictive drug.”

– Addison Yeaman, General Counsel to Brown & Williamson Tobacco Company, 1963

Pathway to Addiction

You lose control with nicotine – it’s a highly addictive drug – more addictive than cocaine or heroin, according to the U.S. Surgeon General. Because the adolescent brain is still developing, nicotine use during adolescence can disrupt the formation of brain circuits that control attention, learning, and susceptibility to addiction.

  • Tobacco companies have increased nicotine levels in cigarettes, making quitting more difficult and addicting new people who smoke (children) more quickly.
  • Ammonia and acetaldehyde are two chemicals that they add to tobacco to increase addictive properties – meant to keep you addicted!
  • E-Cigarettes –are devices that heat a liquid into an aerosol that the user inhales. The liquid usually has nicotine and flavoring in it, and other additives. The nicotine in e-cigarettes and regular cigarettes is addictive. E-cigarettes are considered tobacco products because most of them contain nicotine, which comes from tobacco. Know the risks of e-cigarette use by youth and young adults.