Development of Cigarette Smoking Addiction in Urban College Campuses - Essay Example

"Development of Cigarette Smoking Addiction in Urban College Campuses" is a perfect example of a paper on addiction.
Smoking tobacco is a significant problem in the world especially among the youth who are vulnerable, to peer pressure and being inducted into substance addiction. According to WHO, at least two in every five students between the ages of 14-35 years have used drugs in their lifetime. Forty percent of them have utilized illegal substances such as; heroin, marijuana, and cocaine at some instances in their lives. Further, 23.5% are regular smokers of tobacco products while another 57% are passive smokers. The statistics are indeed disheartening since the plight of the youth is in jeopardy as bright students at their peak in education being engulfed into the epitome of drug addiction hence loose of focus in their lives (Allan and Madden, 2008). Substances such as cigarettes and marijuana are readily available in the neighborhoods where cartels smuggle them in an undercover business that has destroyed thousands of lives. Peer pressure is yet another factor that has contributed to the steady rise of cigarette smoking among college students. Statistics from the Department of Health indicated that between 1993 and 2010 the number of students who smoked increased by a significant margin. For instance, the number of individuals who smoked cigarettes increased from 32% in 1993 to 39% in 2010. The number of students who used shisha tobacco went up from 2.1% to 4.8% thus indicating a positive index in drug abuse. The number of college students who abused prescription drugs rose by 300%, the commonly abused prescription drugs include; opioids, tranquilizers, and sedatives.

College students are significantly affected by cigarette smoking since the effects that come with the use of tobacco range from health, social, and even academic. In 2005, there were 157 cases reported of college students who died as a result of lung cancer occasioned by smoking cigarettes. The number of students who engaged in unprotected sex as a result of the influence of drugs and alcohol is rising, thus exposing them to the risk of transfusion of STIs (Correia, Murphy and Barnett, 2012).  Moreover, 97,000 cases of students suffering from respiratory complications due to smoking have also been reported in various institutions while the number of college students arrested as a result of engaging in criminal activities while under the influence of drugs has also risen according to the latest statistics. More than 1700 deaths occurred arising from ill-health due to cigarette smoking addiction (White and Rabiner, 2012).

In order to solve the above issue, college administrations should enact a thorough counseling program that will enlighten students on drug use together with the benefits of being drug-free. Smoking tobacco is indeed very dangerous to one’s health especially when it reaches the addiction levels. Chronic diseases such as mouth, throat, and lung cancer have claimed numerous lives of students both within the United States of America colleges and also in other foreign universities. Counseling should be achieved by incorporating guidance and advice as a unit in all courses in college together with conducting routine workshops on the subject where expert speakers will address the students. The university administration should also work to change the culture of drug use within the premises of campuses by banning all forms of tobacco and alcohol advertisements in college social events. Prohibiting smoking in the vicinity of universities and banning the sale of tobacco products within the campuses should aid in fighting the vice. The mechanism will work out since it will impose strict regulations that will make it difficult to smuggle tobacco products into college premises, thus reducing their use. Conversely, the knowledge instilled in students through counseling will enable them to make informed choices regarding drug use and especially smoking, hence helping control the vice (Allan and Madden, 2008).