More than 3,000 kids light up their first cigarette each year. Selling cigarettes to anyone under the age of 18 is illegal, but that is not solving much of anything. Kids can get cigarettes from their friends or families. I see it all the time where I live.

There are 2.9 million packs of cigarettes bought or smoked by kids each year. These kids really need to find a way to quit smoking.

Smoking can be a barrier, a big barrier to the healthy and productive lives that all young people deserve. Some people say that smoking isn’t as bad as it seems. The bad thing is that it makes life shorter.

I think that people should stop selling cigarettes. That may be hard for people but it is still for the better. I also would like parents to help their children quit.

A way to help kids quit smoking would be for parents to say to their child, “I don’t smoke.” Most underage kids smoke because their parents do.

People could also make them quit by saying, “Smoking makes my clothing smell bad,” because teens care about their clothes.

The reason I think kids smoke is because they think it makes them look cool. It really doesn’t though.

Devon Roma, Auburn