Tobacco is a legal drug that contains nicotine, a highly addictive substance, and is the cause of many serious medical conditions, including heart disease, lung disease, and some forms of cancer. One concern that particularly relates to college students is social smoking. This term describes smoking by students who do so only when hanging out with friends, drinking, or partying. Most college students feel they will be able to give up their social smoking habit once they graduate, but some find that they have become addicted to cigarettes.

You may have noticed advertisements for electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes or e-cigs) or seen them in stores. According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, e-cigarettes are battery-operated products designed to deliver nicotine, flavors, and other chemicals in the form of vapor. Vaping, the term for using e-cigarettes, has not been fully studied, so consumers currently don’t know the potential risks.

TABLE 13.1 Average Cost of Smoking across the United States

(packs of cigarettes continue to increase in cost, but prices differ by geographical location)

A final reason for smokers to quit, and for others never to start, is the cost, as reported by the American Lung Association (see Table 13.1). Contact your campus health center for more information about quitting.

Recently, Colorado, Washington, Oregon, Alaska, and Washington, D.C. became the first places in the U.S. to legalize recreational marijuana use for individuals twenty-one years or older. It is still not legal in other states or federally, however. College students sometimes get caught with marijuana, and as with tobacco, there are health risks associated with smoking it. Some impacts of marijuana use include an increase in anxiety, paranoia, short-term memory loss, and depression. In addition, marijuana smoke increases your risk for lung cancer, much like tobacco. It is important to know the risks and acknowledge your state and federal laws.