The short- and long-term consequences of teenage cigarette smoking include curtailed physical activity as well as the likelihood of an early death. Lifelong smokers die an average of 13.8 years earlier than the norm, according to the U.S. Surgeon General.
Long-range scientific evidence on smoking clove and marijuana cigarettes is incomplete. However, clove cigarette effects are similar to those of straight tobacco. The consequences of smoking marijuana, which doesn't contain nicotine but does have a psychoactive agent, may extend beyond respiratory illness.
Nicotine Addiction
The majority of teenage smoking holds a high risk for nicotine addiction, even if tobacco use consists of only a cigarette or two. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention or CDC report that daily smoking, no matter how little, increases the chance for addiction. Once they are hooked, teenagers who smoke cigarettes have a tougher time quitting than other age groups, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse website NIDA for Teens.
Social and Economic Consequences
Having addicted to tobacco use compels teens to find a way to pay for cigarettes, detracting from savings and other things they might want to buy. The American Lung Association reports that a pack of cigarettes costs between $5 and $10, making a pack-a-day habit worth over $1,800 per year.
The ALA notes that about one in five high school students smoke cigarettes. This leaves four out of five young people who may not wish to associate with them, due to the bad aesthetic effects and long-range health risks of secondhand smoke. Teenage smoking can also keep students off of sports teams and out of other activities that prohibit tobacco use.
Short-Term Respiratory Ailments
Teens who smoke cigarettes become more susceptible to respiratory infections, including colds, flus, acute bronchitis and pneumonia. The Nemours Foundation relates that teenage smoking can aggravate asthma symptoms and induce short-term breathing obstruction. The coughing, wheezing and shortness of breath that can occur from smoking any type of cigarette inhibits athletic performance.
Chronic Bronchitis
Respiratory problems among teens who smoke cigarettes or marijuana may become chronic. As tissue in the bronchi and lungs become damaged, the body produces mucus. A cough develops in order to dislodge this obstruction, and when coughing proves ineffective, teenagers can experience shortness of breath. The Nemours Foundation notes that chronic bronchitis can arise from teenage smoking.
Long-Term Health Problems
As the lungs, airways and cardiovascular system that carries oxygen through the body become irrevocably damaged, incurable diseases such as emphysema and coronary heart disease may develop. The CDC also reports that potentially deadly cancers, such as leukemia, lung, kidney and pancreas cancers, may also result from tobacco use.
References
- U.S. Surgeon General: List of Diseases Caused by Smoking
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Smoking Health Effects FAQs
- National Institute on Drug Abuse: NIDA for Teens: Effects of Nicotine
- American Lung Association: Why Quit?
- Nemours Foundation: Problems of the Lungs and Respiratory System
