“Smoking the poor” 

Given the higher rate of smoking in these communities and workplaces, low-income people also face higher exposure to second-hand smoke. For example, 35 to 45 percent of children living in households below the poverty level live with a smoker. Smoking has life-threatening effects and it targets different communities. While smoking happens everywhere, Cigarette smoking rates are higher in areas that are majorly low in income because higher smoking rates are linked to less education, companies falsely advertise, and people smoke due to stress. The counter to this is that smoking happens in all income areas. 

Your education gives you more or less a reason to smoke cigarettes. It gives you a reason to smoke because some people think of smoking as a way out or as a stress reliever.“the poverty rate in 2016 was 12.7%.1 In 2017, the percentage of people aged 18 and older who had completed only high school was 28.9%, and the percentage who had completed high school up to grade 11 but had no diploma was 4.2%”(U.S. Census Bureau). This is showing that if you graduate with a high level of education you have less of a chance of being in poverty. Smoking cigarettes “decreased with increasing education, from 54% among participants with less than a high school education to 12% among those with a graduate degree”(PubMed). This is linked to their educational statistics, giving them more reasons to smoke. 

 Companies falsely advertising tobacco gives people false hope that smoking is good for you.  Many tobacco companies (such as Imperial brand) “falsely marketed and promote low-tar and light cigarettes as less harmful than regular cigarettes to keep people smoking and sustain revenues”(Truth Initiative). The companies are using false advertisement as a strategy to get more people to buy their product if they think that it’s healthy. “ There are no safe cigarettes” implies that smoking is harmful and that people should stop harming their organs by smoking. 

Stress is one of the main reasons why people smoke because they think that it calms them down. This is only because “nicotine is a mood-altering drug” smokers think that smoking helps them but they don’t know that they are being manipulated into thinking that things are getting better. “Individuals with mental illness account for 46% of cigarettes sold in the United States”  (truth 2017). Stress is an increased risk of anxiety and tension. 

Some people may say that smoking happens every not just in low-income areas. But, in low-income areas, there are up to “10 times more tobacco ads in black neighborhoods”(Truth 2017). This is showing that it’s not fair against people living in poor areas because it’s showing more tobacco use in ads and in stores. This is portraying that people think that all people of color do is smoke and drink.  People of color are way more than that we are successful human beings and we work hard to achieve our goals. 

Cigarette smoking rates are higher in people that live in low-income communities, had a low level of education and stress. Smoking should be banned from the United States because they have life-threatening diseases and it is a life-threating.

“The 5 Ways Tobacco Companies Lied about the Dangers of Smoking Cigarettes.” Truth Initiative, 21 Dec. 2017, truthinitiative.org/research-resources/tobacco-prevention-efforts/5-ways-tobacco-companies-lied-about-dangers-smoking.

Fix, The. “Is Stress as Harmful as Smoking?” Salon, Salon.com, 21 Dec. 2012, www.salon.com/2012/12/20/is_stress_has_harmful_as_smoking/.

“Investigation Reveals Tobacco Companies Are Secretly Using Social Media to Promote Smoking.” Truth Initiative, 27 Aug. 2018, truthinitiative.org/research-resources/tobacco-pop-culture/investigation-reveals-tobacco-companies-are-secretly-using.

Wagenknecht, L E, et al. “Cigarette Smoking Behavior Is Strongly Related to Educational Status: the CARDIA Study.” Preventive Medicine, U.S. National Library of Medicine, Mar. 1990, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2193307.