When you were young and watching cartoons you would have come across “the typical cowboy”. Jumping off his horse, he spits out some of his chewing tobacco and looks at his enemy. As the protagonist, he always wins. Next you see the wealthy businessman. He is on the top floor of his very successful business looking over the city. He leans back into his leather chair and lights a cigar he pulled out of a safe full of money that is in his office. Later you see a cop reviewing a case on a long night. Coffee by the scattered files and a still smoking ashtray, full of mostly half smoked cigarettes. Old cartoons show our heroes, and the occasional villain, smoking or using tobacco products. Subliminally these images are telling you “this …show more content…
10.7% of smokers smoke during the last 3 months of their pregnancy (Tong, et al.). While smoking, 4,000 chemicals enter your bloodstream. The pregnant woman’s bloodstream is the only source of oxygen and nutrients for the unborn child. The lack of oxygen stunts the child’s growth and leaves them more likely to be born premature and underweight. Their underdeveloped lungs will cause breathing problems during the first week of life. They will stay on a respirator until they are able to breathe on their own. After they are able to breathe on their own, the baby is still at risk for asthma or even SIDS, also known as Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. When the mother smokes during the pregnancy, the child is more likely to grow up into a smoker. According to a study done by U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, teenagers are more likely to view smoking as socially acceptable if their peers do it. Teenagers are also more likely to form strong addictions compared to their adult counterparts (Preventing Tobacco Use Among Young People: A Report of the Surgeon General). A teen’s brain is still developing and smoking alters the way the brain works. When teens smoke, their brain becomes more dependent on the tobacco than an adult’s