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HOW TOBACCO AFFECTS ME
AISHA M.
2ND PLACE WINNER, 4-6 GRADE
Dear Diary,
The use of tobacco has affected many people in
many ways. Smoking used to be common, but due
to many recently added laws prohibiting people under the age of 1 to have anything to do with tobacco, more and more citizens are avoiding any form
of the harmful substance. Unfortunately, the laws
concerning tobacco in other countries are less severe, causing the environment to be much different
than America’s. A few months ago I visited Kenya,
a country in Africa, which is different in many ways.
As soon as I reached the neighborhood I was staying in, I could tell that many people smoked there. I
could just smell the smoke of cigarettes in the air; it
was gross. I remember covering my nose and mouth
whenever I walked outside. It was normal to see
people sitting on chairs or stair steps outside, talking
to each other while smoking. I kept trying to stay
away from those areas, and go to places where there
weren’t as many adults. I recall thinking about my
home in America, how there are many anti-smoking
campaigns. I often complained about it to my cousins whenever we played outside. When the smoke
was too much for me, I went inside. It wasn’t only the
people outside who smoked, though. Sometimes I
could find my uncle smoking on the balcony, or my
grandfather heading outside to smoke. It often made
me sad seeing a few of my family engage in a self
harming act. Fortunately, in the United States there
are tons of books, television programs, and speeches where we learn how bad the effects of tobacco
could be. I asked my mom why her brother and
father get involved in tobacco use when she hadn’t.
“I guess it depends on who you hang out with, and
without active anti-tobacco campaigning in Kenya,
many people didn’t know about the bad things that
come out of smoking.” I thought about that constantly. After conversations like these, I would usually
go downstairs and play with my cousins outside. I
frequently reminded myself that I was lucky to have
people work hard to prevent citizens from getting
involved with tobacco or smoking. I loved to tell my
family how in America, things are so different. How
there is a great amount of effort put in to stop the
new generation from using any form of tobacco; how
the health of every child and adult is very important;
and how anybody could find an anti-smoking campaign on every form of media there is. They were
intrigued by that piece of information. One of my
old cousins said, “But that is his or her own choice!”
I simply shook my head and changed the subject.
They didn’t understand how much broadcasting
really helped inform kids my age and older understand how harmful tobacco really is. If there wasn’t
any type of advertising about tobacco and its horrible consequences to tech me to stay away from it, I
don’t know where I’d be. It truly helps many people
when speeches, T.V. shows, books, and activities are
made to prevent tobacco use. When I arrived at the
airport in America, I felt glad because I could safely
inhale. The “no smoking” signs posted everywhere
ensured I was safe from inhaling smoke from cigarettes. It felt good to be able to breathe properly.
Being back in the United States has changed my
lifestyle. Tobacco, or rather the absence of tobacco,
has affected me positively. I know about the tobacco
and smoking cause, due to the large anti-tobacco
campaign. I haven’t forgotten about Kenya, where
there were less strict laws concerning the use of
tobacco. My visit to Kenya has made me come to realize how all those talks, events, and programs help
me. They rule out any chance of me using tobacco,
and the absence of tobacco in my life has affected
me positively.
Have a nice day.