STOCKTON: Since Lincoln’s inception back in the early 1950s, as well as just about every other high school, there have been issues with addictive substances and the use of them on campus.  At one point, there were designated smoking areas for students and advertisements for cigarettes in the school newspaper!  Though now, those practices have been outlawed, yet we still have an issue with smoking/substance use in school and we want to figure out how to fix it.  

I took it upon myself to check a few of the older newspaper articles from a few decades ago and found it littered with different adverts for cigarette companies, some having cool designs or mascots that I figured were aimed more at a younger audience.  I then looked at the present day, with certain companies making vaping/tobacco products with flavoring to make it more appealing to younger and older audiences alike.  The method of advertising has changed drastically but the same emphasis on younger audiences is still present. 

 The widespread issue is likely something that will never truly be solved but we can do more to prevent it.  I believe that more of an emphasis on monitoring students in and out of the classroom in non-intrusive ways can help deter potential smoking/substance use on campus.  More effort should also be put into informing students about the risks of smoking at such a young age with things like cancer being possible later on in life.  This information could scare off potential users from contributing to the issue for their own personal health.