They're puffing away their childhood

Statutory warnings on cigarette packs state that smoking is injurious to health. But teenagers are hell bent on blowing the warning in smoke.
A random enquiry done by Chandigarh Times revealed that teenagers between the ages of 14 and 19 (most not even old enough to legally purchase tobacco products) light up their first cigarette while a significant number of youngsters in the age brackets of 17-19 find cigarette cool.For many, "Joe Camel" and "The Marlboro Man" (if pocket money warrants) are more recognizable and hip than say a Mickey Mouse or even Harry Potter. Is it the Smoking Joe''s generation, then?
It is, if a teacher of a well-known boy''s school in the city is to be believed. "Everybody is aware that youngsters smoke. It''s their age to experiment and peer pressure also plays an important role but what is new is the openness about smoking. There were days when you caught a boy smoking in the school, he would run and not face you, but now they just hide the cigarette behind their backs, say a curt ‘Sorry'' and wait for you to go before they can start puffing again," she adds.
Not to be deterred Ravish and Nitin (names changed on request), Class IX students of a local school admit to the growing trend, "Yes, we smoke but so do many of our classmates. Even the girls smoke. As long as you know the limit, smoking is cool. At parties, youngsters are smoking all the time. Our parents also know and they are okay with it," they chorus.
Sociologists blame it most on the images attributed to smoking, "Youngsters have some kind of images attached with the act of smoking. They take it as a status symbol, a macho thing, which makes them look like heroes amongst their peer group. For teenagers, if they are old enough to smoke, they are also old enough to take major life decisions by themselves," feels Dr KC Kaistha, head of department, Sociology, Panjab University, who also blames the "easy accessibility of tobacco products" as one of the prime factors in the smoking push, "How come cigarettes are easily available near schools and that too in affordable prices?" As to whether advertising and glorification of smoking in movies plays a part, Dr Kaistha says, "Ads and films which depict characters who smoke in swinging night clubs having a good time might influence some who think smoking is a transition to adulthood." If only they enjoy their childhood first!