Would you buy a product advertising an unpleasantness for your mouth, a dead sense of taste, tooth stain, unwholesome odor for your clothes, and damage to your health? Even though these disadvantages are evident, many Maine West students join the 59 million people in the United States smoking cigarettes.

The students who could be affected most by the health hazards of smoking at Maine are the athletes, who are restricted from smoking because their respiratory efficiency is cut down. People smoking large amounts of cigarettes over a period of years may develop such respiratory diseases as bronchitis or emphysema.

Since the smoker becomes so emotionally dependent on cigarettes, some students try to smoke in the washrooms. These students, if caught, are suspended and may be hurt scholastically.

About one million people do quit each year, though the breaking of the habit may be frustrating and tensive. They want to do everything they can to live longer and keep in good health.

The beginning smoker should keep in mind that cigarettes are a major cause of death from lung cancer and heart disease. Smokers also have a 20‑500 per cent higher death rate for 18 other suspected diseases. In 1965, 125,000 to 300,000 Americans died prematurely due to smoking, according to statistics.

Think the next time before you pick up a cigarette.