Underage smoking in Australia

Male smoking a cigarette, CFCF, 2015.

Underage smoking in Australia is still a major concern, although the Australian government has reduced the number of smokers each year, through numerous and intensive anti-smoking campaigns (National Tobacco Campaign). As a result, from these campaigns, statics have been recorded and compared from surveys completed throughout Australia, showing how the numbers of underage smokers have drastically decreased in the years between 1991 and 2013. However, adolescents are still being influenced to try smoking, such influences include: family, advertising and school. The amount of advertising that is being publicised, is still striking attention in adolescent’s minds, this is why tobacco smoking is still relatively popular among young people in Australia. The broadcasts promoting smoking are found to be highly influential to the targeted audience, regardless of age, however it is young people who it is affecting the most. Almost all smokers start while they are young, and studies have found that nearly all first time smoking experiences take place during high school years. The younger a person is when they start smoking, commonly tobacco, the more likely the person is to use it as an adult; which results in having more trouble quitting, as opposed to starting smoking later on in life. Substances that are commonly smoked by adolescents in Australia include cigarettes, marijuana, hookahs and electronic cigarettes. It is known that while being an adolescent and smoking, there is an increased higher risk of establishing a smoking addiction rapidly, with adolescent smokers forming a sense of dependence. This is consistently initiated with smoking cigarettes, as nicotine is the addictive drug found in tobacco smoke. Adolescents taking part in the commencement of smoking don’t take into consideration the struggle of being able to quit, as smoking can destroy their education and bring upon many smoking-related health complications.

History

Underage smoking in Australia has taken a big turn throughout the years and has dropped the percentage of adolescents smoking drastically. The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) conducted surveys detailing daily smokers, they conducted these surveys in the years between 1991-2013. The survey in 2013 collected information from almost 24,000 and the results showed that “there has been a significant decrease in daily smokers aged 14 years or older in Australia, falling from 16.6% in 2007, 15.1% in 2010, to 12.8% in 2013.”^[1]

Barola and White from the Drug Strategy Branch in the Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing reported that in 2011, the overall rate of current smoking among Australian students aged 12 to 15 years was 6.7%. Within that amount 4.1% were current smokers between the ages of 12 and 15, the ratio included males taking up 4.4% and females 3.8%. Whereas 12.9% of 16- and 17-year-olds were current smokers, and that worked out to be males 13.4% and females 12.3%. These figures are calculated from 25,000 Australian students who took part in this survey.^[3]

The AIHW reported that high levels of tobacco control activities in the community have contributed to the drop in smoking rates among students. These control activities that the community helped instigate included anti-smoking media campaigns, the increase of tobacco tax, restrictions of advertising and the sales of tobacco products, smoking bans in public places, and graphic health warnings on cigarette packs, alongside multiple more. It was noted that education and tobacco control measures are also important, so that adolescents are aware and understand the harms of smoking and secondhand smoke, and are therefore less likely to start smoking underage.^[2]

Influences

Family

Winstanley et al. stated, “Australian research has shown that young people living in households where English is spoken are more likely to smoke, than those living in households where a language other than English is the first language.”^[4] This puts forward the matter of concern in regards to what influence this has on the children being impacted. While a child is young, they are at risk of being influenced by bad habits of the people who surround them. In particular family, because adolescents look up to their elders as role models, and if the parents, siblings, and extended family are smoking around the child, the child is twice as likely to become a smoker. This is not in the best interest of the child, because it promotes that it is suitable for the child to start smoking, as family influence has the greatest impact on a child’s behaviour and choices.

A bad issue as a result of this is second hand smoke, British Columbia (2012), stated that people who do not smoke, and who are exposed regularly to the toxic chemicals being inhaled from the second-hand smoke can suffer serious, and life-threatening health risks.^[5] The fact that these risks can already bring upon many health issues while not physically smoking will only enhance, and become more dangerous to the adolescent if found to take up smoking for themselves.

A man exhaling smoke from a cigar forming the words, "TRY ONE."

Advertising

Advertising plays a substantial role in the original establishment of underage smoking. The media influences general curiosity about the effects of smoking, which can sway the decisions of underage smokers. This is because adolescents are easy targets for the tobacco industry, as they are influenced effortlessly to ‘try new things’. Television shows, movies, the Internet, and general advertising of tobacco products, all play huge roles in getting young adolescents minds to wonder what smoking is like as they all promote that smoking is fun, healthy, and attractive.^[6] Tobacco advertisements aim to display one main concept, which is the enjoyment that you could get out of the effects of cigarettes, but however ignore the health risks that come from smoking cigarettes.

School

Friends and social groups have a huge impact on youth smoking. What someone’s friends do and say, play a huge reflection in others minds, so the desire of knowing what smoking is like for one person, can impact countless others. It is a mixture between peer pressure that encourages or discourages smoking, as well as a bonding mechanism among peers. Adolescents may smoke because they want to belong to a particular group and have a sense of fitting in, whereas other adolescents may lack the skills to refuse a cigarette offered by a friend (peer pressure), or someone they want to get to know. Peer smoking is by far a major influential factor in adolescent smoking, as there are strong desires to look cool in others eyes, and to appear older and more mature to those watching.^[7] Smoking is known to be a fun hobby where a group of friends can get together and bond, a great example of this is hookah smoking. The enjoyment of smoking, the sensations, and feelings which one gets from smoking is being taken out of this ‘social hobby’. However, there is one major problem with this, and that is, adolescents who start smoking in early teenage years don’t think much, or at all, about the health risks they can obtain in the near future, due to long-term extended smoking.

Substances commonly smoked by minors

A Cigarette.

Cigarettes

There are two types of cigarettes, one being shredded or ground tobacco that is wrapped in paper, or another substance that does not include tobacco^[8] and the other is manufactured cigarettes, which differ by having filters on one end, which are intended to ‘trap’ some of the toxic chemicals contained in cigarette smoke. The main ingredient in cigarettes is tobacco; tobacco is a green, leafy plant named nicotiana tabacum. Artificial flavorings and other chemicals are also added into the compound mixed in cigarettes (as seen below in Figure 1).^[9]

There are over 4,000 chemicals in cigarette smoke, and 43 of them are known to be carcinogenic, which is a cancer-causing compound. Ingredients found in cigarettes that are carcinogenics include nicotine, tar, carbon monoxide, formaldehyde, ammonia, hydrogen cyanide, arsenic, and DDT.^[10]

Nicotine is a highly addictive drug, and smoke that contains nicotine is inhaled into the lungs and can travel to the brain in just six seconds. Nicotine in small doses acts as a stimulant to the brain (when it reaches the bloodstream, it makes the smoker feel calm), as opposed to large doses, whereas it acts as a depressant (inhibiting the flow of signals between nerve cells). In even larger doses, nicotine is a lethal poison, affecting the heart, blood vessels, and hormones.^[11]

Carbon monoxide and Tar are also chemicals found in cigarettes that effect health severely. Carbon monoxide makes it harder for red blood cells to carry oxygen throughout the body, and tar is a mixture of substances that together form a sticky mass in the lungs. Therefore, when a cigarette is smoked, the amount of tar inhaled into the lungs increases. Most of the chemicals inhaled in cigarette smoke stay in the lungs, so although the more smoke being inhaled is creating a better feeling, its also creating greater damage to the lungs.^[11]

Marijuana mixture.

Cannabis (Marijuana)

Cannabis, in particular marijuana, is a common street and recreational illegal drug. Marijuana is made from dried leaves, flowers, stems, and seeds from the hemp plant, cannabis sativa. The hemp plant contains the active ingredient tetra-hydro-cannabinol (THC), which is a mind-altering chemical that creates a high when smoked.^[13]

Marijuana is commonly smoked in hand-rolled cigarettes, pipes, or water pipes (bongs), however it can be used in vaporisers, turned into a tea, or used as an ingredient in foods as an edible. The THC in marijuana is responsible for changing how the brain works, by distorting how the mind perceives the world and making the heart beat faster.^[14] In particular marijuana is used to heighten perception, affect mood, and feel relaxed: it alters senses, sense of time, changes in mood, impaired body movement (coordination), difficultly in thinking (judgment), and impaired memory.^[13]

When marijuana is being used as an adolescent, the chances of getting addicted increase almost instantly. This is because adolescents who smoke marijuana are twice as likely as adults to become addicted. Young people believe that marijuana is a safe drug and it cannot be harmful because it is “natural,” however this is untrue. Marijuana can cause changes in the brain that impair learning, this especially effects adolescents as their brains have not finished developing. The drug impacts their brains heavily because it reduces thinking, memory, and learning functions.^[13] Hence, why adolescents are addicted easily. Marijuana is dangerous while being a teenager as the effects to the brain impact their overall achievements and outcomes during high school, which determine their future, and health.

“Young Australians (aged 14–24) first try cannabis at 16.7 years on average. 14.8% of 12–17 year olds have tried cannabis – it is the most commonly used illicit drug among this age group.”^[15]

Long-term health effects of marijuana include damages to the brain, heart, lungs, and reproductive system, it also increases the development of anxiety, depression, schizophrenia,

and it can trigger acute psychotic episodes.^[16] The major long-term effects of this include cancer of the head and neck.^[17]

A Hookah.

Hookah

A hookah is s a single, or multi-stemmed water pipe used for vaporising, and smoking flavored tobacco, which is called shisha. The tobacco in shisha can be mixed with all sorts of flavours including mint, apple, peach, and or fruit heads. The shisha is heated using charcoal that releases the flavours when burnt in the water pipe, while inhaling.^[18] The smoke as result of the inhalation is passed through a water basin first (often glass-based) before being inhaled and exhaled.

Hookah smoking is often a social event, which allows the smokers to spend time together and talk as they pass the pipe around. This form of smoking creates the higher risk of contracting a health related smoking issue, as many hours can pass by while socialising and smoking, it is the lengthy hours on end of smoking shisha which puts adolescents health in danger.^[19]

Hookah smoking is known to be the socially acceptable way to smoke tobacco, however this claim is false. Hookah smoke can contain concentrations of toxins, such as carbon monoxide, nicotine, tar, and heavy metals. All of these toxins are as high, or higher than those that are associated with cigarette smoke. This is due to the result when physically inhaling the shisha, as water in the basin does not get rid of the toxins in the shisha, it only enhances them. Several types of cancer and infectious diseases are linked with smoking shisha. Health risks including: lung cancer, tuberculosis, aspergillus, helicobacter and Epstein-Barr virus, can be contracted from the way the shisha is prepared, the smoking of the shisha, and the sharing around of the mouthpiece connected to the pipe.^[20]

Electronic Cigarettes.

Electronic Cigarettes

Electronic cigarettes, also known as e-cigarettes, are small refillable devices that deliver nicotine and/or other chemicals through a battery-powered system. The devices are designed to stimulate the act of smoking tobacco cigarettes, but do not involve the physical burning of tobacco. E-cigarettes use the battery power to help inhale the vapor, which can be flavoured resembling things such as fruit and candy.^[21] It is through these flavours, which makes e-cigarettes appealing to adolescents, although it is not warned how e-cigarettes can hook adolescents on nicotine; which creates a lifelong nicotine addiction that could lead to the use of more harmful tobacco products.^[22]

Electronic cigarettes are being marketed as cheap and healthier alternatives to cigarettes, as well as an option for smokers when smoking is not permitted, since they do not produce tobacco smoke. They are also seen as less harmful than cigarettes, but the short and long-term health impacts of using electronic cigarettes remain unknown. However, there is a lot of debate regarding their safety as the Therapeutic Goods Administration stated that, “The Australian Government is concerned about the use of electronic cigarettes in Australia. The impact of wide scale use of these devices on tobacco use is not known, and the outcome in the community could be harmful.” One major concern is the impact that e-cigarettes may have on the wider community, including how they can be a gateway to smoking, or to nicotine addiction to new smokers, particularly amongst adolescents.^[21]

Health effects of smoking underage

Smoking harms nearly every organ in the body, and adolescents who smoke have higher risks of developing health issues sooner in life, rather than later. Smoking regardless of age causes health issues including lung cancer, throat cancer, mouth caner, heart disease, heart attacks, strokes, lung diseases, diseases affecting the eyes, gums, blood vessels, bones and gut, and countless others.^[23]

Smoking can damage every part of the body.

The younger someone starts to smoke, the more likely they are to be heavy users of tobacco, and therefore, the greater risk they have of obtaining poor health. Smoking during adolescence causes serious health problems, in regards to the respiratory and asthma-related symptoms, including shortness of breath, coughing spells, phlegm, increased frequent headaches, and wheezing.^[23] Smoking as an adolescent also impairs lung growth, and causes the early onset of lung function deterioration during late adolescence and early adulthood; this only brings upon early addition to nicotine, and worse overall health.^[24]

Immediate effects of smoking include a rise in heart rate and blood pressure, shaky hands, and a drop in skin temperature as blood vessels compact in the fingertips and toes. An example of this is the carbon monoxide in cigarettes, it reduces the ability of blood to carry oxygen, and the ability of muscle cells to take up oxygen.^[25] Adolescents who smoke have higher increased stress levels than non-smokers, this is due to re-occurring nicotine withdrawal symptoms, as nicotine makes the heart work harder.

There are many long-term health issues that come from the initiation of underage smoking. Adolescents who continue to smoke can develop complications such as: Gum disease, tooth loss, infertility, impotence, chronic lung diseases, hearing loss, vision impairment (which can lead to blindness) and blood vessel diseases (which can lead to heart attacks or strokes).^[26] These are only some major health issues that can be caught, hence why it is important for young people to not fall into the trap of smoking at a young age, as it could ruin the rest of their adult life.

Education

Students who smoke are more likely to feel more negatively towards school, to miss school more often, to perform less well academically, to engage in early school misbehaviour, and to drop out of school at an earlier age than non-smokers. Mark Wheeler (2011), found a relationship with smoking and the brain, the greater an underage child’s addiction to nicotine is, the less active the prefrontal cortex was, which suggests that smoking affects brain function.^[27] "As the prefrontal cortex continues to develop during the critical period of adolescence, smoking may influence the trajectory of brain development and affect the function of the prefrontal cortex," (London, 2011).^[28]

Research shows that there is a definite link between teen substance abuse and how well you do in school. Ultimately this affects the way your brain processes and retains information—and how you think, learn, remember, focus, and concentrate. Teens who abuse drugs have lower grades, a higher rate of absence from school and other activities, and an increased potential for dropping out of school. Youth smoking can biologically reduce learning productivity, while also reducing adolescent’s motivation to go to school, where smoking is forbidden.^[29]

Marijuana, for example, affects your attention, memory, and ability to learn. Its effects can last for days or weeks after the drug wears off. So, if a student were smoking marijuana daily, they would not be functioning at their best capable ability. Therefore, students who smoke marijuana tend to get lower grades and are more likely to drop out of high school. With saying that, students in their last years of high school who drop out before graduation are more likely than their peers to be smokers.^[29] This makes students’ chances of graduating high school with good grades and furthermore attend college, or obtain a college degree less likely than non-smokers in high school.

See also

• Youth smoking
• Smoking
• Tobacco smoking
• Marijuana (word)
• Hookah
• Electronic cigarette
• Health effects of tobacco

References