We know that the smoking initiation is significantly involved by “imitation ” , so that a son of smokers are four times more likely to smoke. Several factors are involved, the fact that our parents smoke reduces the risk perception we have on consumption of tobacco … – if my mom / dad smoke, then smoking cannot be that bad … – generally we associate parental behaviors with positive situations.
Moreover, at smoker´s houses, there is always the possibility of having access to a forgotten pack of cigarettes and take one or more cigarettes without the owner noticing. In our environment it also continues to prevail in the habit of parents sending their young to buy cigarettes at the nearest miscellany , which determines that the application of the law prohibiting the sale of tobacco to kids under 18 years is dead letter. With this excuse, the shop owner never know if the pack is for use by the young or will actually reach an adult. Another problem that determine access to tobacco by children and adolescents is selling by retail , it is difficult for this group of youngsters to have enough money to buy a pack, but there will always be three pesos to buy a ” loose” cigar. The law prohibiting this type of sale also exists, but unfortunately it is not applied.
According to data from the last national survey of addiction, the most vulnerable groups are children and teenagers, for example girls 12-15 years doubled their prevalence of smoking between 2002 and 2011, from 4% to 8% respectively. The average age of smoking in the country is 12-13 years, which is a big concern because the respiratory tract in humans completes its development and maturity at around 13 years, if a child starts consuming more than 4000 chemicals in the smoke of cigarettes at an early age, it is easy to understand that the resulting damage will be greater.
Also with early smoking and because of the immaturity of the central nervous system, the addiction process will be presented more quickly, so that these children and adolescents are now starting to smoke, will soon be part of the statistics of morbidity and mortality associated with consumption of tobacco .
Smoking is known as “a drug gateway” because it opens the door to legal and illegal drugs, for example ,we know that a Mexican teenager who smokes, is thirteen times more likely to begin consuming alcohol and marijuana than one who does not smoke .
Moreover, we have found that young people are one of the most exposed groups to secondhand smoke because they are passive smokers, especially at home.
To prevent our children and young people from starting smoking, as a society we must monitor the fulfillment of the General Law for the Control of Tobacco, conduct education and information campaigns aimed at teenagers, privileging spaces 100 % smoke-free, stimulate the increasing cigarette prices, creating more specialized clinics in treatment, including medication required in the basic medication stuck of public health services, among others. Prevention is crucial to prevent more Mexicans from being treated of emphysema, lung cancer, chronic bronchitis and other diseases.
The National Survey of Addictions (ENA) 2011 reported that 17.3 million Mexicans were smokers, the prevalence of active consumption of 21.7 percent among the population. The 31.4 percent of men and 12.6 percent of women were current smokers (12.1 million men and 5.2 million women). Every day about 170 Mexicans die as a result of the many diseases associated with smoking, more than 60,000 deaths a year.
The best way to prevent our young from increasing the statistics of illness and death associated to nicotine addiction, is to provide an smoke free image. So now you know, if you smoke, at least do not do it at home and less in front of your children.
