AP Biology
Olivia Scotti
Mr. Ippolito
14 December, 2017
“Marijuana and Vaping Are More Popular Than Cigarettes Among Teenagers”
By Jan Hoffman
Hoffman, Jan. “Marijuana and Vaping Are More Popular Than Cigarettes Among
Teenagers.”The New York Times, The New York Times, 14 Dec. 2017,
www.nytimes.com/2017/12/14/health/teen-drug-smoking.html?rref=collection%2Fsectioncollection%2Fhealth&action=click&contentCollection=health®ion=rank&module=package&version=highlights&contentPlacement=2&pgtype=sectionfront.
The article I read was written by Jan Hoffman and discussed how research has found that over the last few years the number of students who smoke cigarettes has dropped and many students instead smoke marijuana and use vaping devices. In a study done at the University of Michigan researchers found that “ 22.9 percent of high school seniors said they had used marijuana within the previous 30 days and 16.6 percent had used a vaping device. Only 9.7 percent had smoked cigarettes.” Although students are still useing smoking devices this is a step in the right direction because the number of students who smoke cigarettes has declined. Also the article discussed that with the decline in cigarettes use more students in the last decade are smoking marijuana and useing vaping devices. The article said how they have not found any links yet to the effects of useing vaping devices but, Dr. Compton said, “The concern is that it may represent a new route for exposure to nicotine and marijuana.”Despite this the article suggests how students have become more aware of the effects of these devices. Also Thomas J. Glynn, a former director of cancer science at the American Cancer Society believes the drop in use of cigarettes was a “ astounding accomplishment in public health” but with the rise in use of vaping devices he added, “I think we have to have alarms out.” through this we understand how society has evolved to move away from harmful use of substances like tobacco but also how they are always new trends arriving that students will partake in that could affect their health. Also the article discussed that students have become more cautious about posting photos on social media of them partaking in these illegal activities which is good because they are more aware of the risks of the activities they participate in. Finally, the article discusses how schools have still tried to tell students how smoking marijuana can “... impact on their developing brain and the risk of learning to smoke marijuana as a coping mechanism.” However, students still will do these activities and the number of students who do smoke marijuana has risen in the years leading a concern for the future of these students.
Although most students already know that cigarettes, vaping and marijuana are bad they will never stop participating in these activities so it is valuable for news sites to add articles about the effects of these and how they have evolved in the modern time. I felt this article was of value to read because at our school students participated in these illegal activities and even would bring them to class to charge in their computers. Definitely seeing this occur at our school made me realize how students have evolved from smoking cigarettes to useing vaping devices. Although both harm the body the fact that the number of students who smoke cigarettes everywhere even at our school has decreased shows how society is evolving in the right way and how students are more cautious on what they put in their bodies. This shows how society will be better off for the future through the limit on students smoking.
Overall, I thought this article was written clearly and precisely. Also through useing many quotes from professors who had done research on these topics the point of the article was understood. Another part of the article which was done well was their ability to add data and statistics into the article. Although the article was written well there were some weaknesses of the article. For instance, I felt they formatted the article powderly and were unable to transition well from paragraph. They could improve this by making sure they talk about one topic in a paragraph then move to the next topic. Another part of the article that could be improved was adding more details about the results on society that this research will lead too. They could improve this by looking more into the topic at hand. Although there were areas of improvement, overall this article was well written and helped the reader understand a general idea of the information being discussed.
Nina Veru
ReplyDeleteAP Bio, C-odd
Current Event 11
12/14/17
Hoffman, Jan. “Marijuana and Vaping Are More Popular Than Cigarettes Among
Teenagers.”The New York Times, The New York Times, 14 Dec. 2017,
Olivia Scotti discussing vaping in her article review. I thought this article was a good choice for that the use of vaping devices has increased dramatically in the past year. Overall Scotti wrote an excellent review, doing several things well. For one, Scotti did an excellent job of incorporating beneficial quotes into her writing. Scotti weaves in the quote, “ 22.9 percent of high school seniors said they had used marijuana within the previous 30 days and 16.6 percent had used a vaping device. Only 9.7 percent had smoked cigarettes.” By strategically placing this quote, Scotti gives the reader accurate and reliable statistics on vaping. I enjoyed how Scotti placed some positive light on the issue. Although vaping is illegal for those who are underage, it is a better alternative than smoking cigarettes. The author mentions how researchers are more concerned with the addictive aspects of these devices, opposed to fatal health concerns. Most importantly, I liked how Scotti related this topic to our lives today. Scotti mentions how all have been guilty of using these devices and how common it is at our school. I liked how Scotti chose a topic that is relevant to our society, which makes it more interesting to read.
Although Scotti wrote a great review, there are some things that could be improved. For instance, the author could have done a better job revising her writing. Scotti claims, “through this we understand how society has evolved to move away from harmful use of substances like tobacco but also how they are always new trends arriving that students will partake in that could affect their health.” Since she was starting a new sentence, “through” needed to be capitalized. Scotti should have also changed her final paragraph by making it indented, and by making the line spacing double. This would have made her writing look more professional and physically pleasing.
As mentioned, I felt Scotti chose an excellent topic for discussion as vaping is prevalent in our society. One thing I found interesting was that researchers are more concerned with the addictive aspects than the health concerns. Although vaping is of concern, it is reassuring to know that using these products a couple of times will not automatically give you a death sentence. In addition, I thought it was interesting that the article claimed that smoking cigarettes had decreased, which is obviously a good thing. However, using vaping devices could lead people into using cigarettes, as I have seen happen to some.
Ava Austi
ReplyDeleteAP Biology
Current Event #12
1/1/18
Hoffman, Jan. “Marijuana and Vaping Are More Popular Than Cigarettes Among Teenagers.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 14 Dec. 2017, https://www.nytimes.com/2017/12/14/health/teen-drug-smoking.html
Olivia wrote a great review based off the article “Marijuana and Vaping Are More Popular Than Cigarettes Among Teenagers” by Jan Hoffman from The New York Times. This article discussed how research has found that over the last few years the number of students who smoke cigarettes has dropped and many students instead smoke marijuana and use vaping devices. Throughout the review of the article, there were many aspects that Olivia did well in order to write a great review. Olivia did a great job of providing the audience with a detailed summary. You can clearly tell that she understood and was interested in the topic. Olivia also did a great job of adding quotes from different researchers of this topic.
For example a quote from Dr. Compton, “The concern is that it may represent a new route for exposure to nicotine and marijuana.” Olivia is aware that her audience may not be aware of the studies completed on this issue so she is sure to quote the experts and list her names, adding credibility. Adding quotes also allows the reader to have an understanding of the exact research going on, while giving them a sense of tone presented throughout the writing. Lastly, Olivia did a great job of choosing an article that was relevant to our current societies. I was very interested and focused while reading Olivia’s review due to the relevance, especially in our own school. Olivia successfully wrote a clear and interesting review of the article she read.
Although Olivia presented a great review of the article, there were some aspects where she could have improved. Firstly, in Olivia’s third paragraph, I believe there was more room for other ideas of what the author did well or can improve on. She said there was “a few” things to critique. Sharing all of those thoughts would have benefited the review as a whole. Another thing that could have improved was simple grammar and spelling errors. For some readers, this is very distracting and they tend to focus solely on the mistake, which stops the flow of reading. A quick proofread could have eliminated this problem. These issues are both easy to fix in order to make Olivia’s review even better. Even though there were some parts of the review that Olivia could have improved, I think she wrote a great review of the article.
I thought Olivia did a great job in writing her review and I really enjoyed reading it. After reading the review, I found it interesting that researchers are more concerned with the addictive aspects than the health concerns. I chose this article because it is a relevant topic to kids my age as well as in our own school. After reading Olivia’s review, I still want to learn more about this rising issue. Overall, I think Olivia successfully wrote a clear and detailed review of her article.
Charlie Gay
ReplyDeleteAP Biology
Mr. Ippolito
4/19/18
Current Event 22
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/12/14/health/teen-drug-smoking.html?rref=collection%2Fsectio
Hoffman, Jan. “Marijuana and Vaping Are More Popular Than Cigarettes Among Teenagers.”The New York Times, The New York Times, 14 Dec. 2017.
I really enjoyed reading Olivia Scotti’s review on the article “Marijuana and Vaping Are More Popular Than Cigarettes Among Teenagers.” One thing that Olivia did well was she included quantitative data on the topic. For example she wrote, “22.9 percent of high school seniors said they had used marijuana within the previous 30 days.” Providing qualitative data makes it impossible for people to disagree with her argument. Another thing that Olivia does well is she includes quotes. For example, she writes “The concern is that it may represent a new route for exposure to nicotine and marijuana.” She included this quote directly from the article, which adds credibility to her review. Lastly, another thing that Olivia does well is she includes the credentials of the people that she is quoting. For example she writes, “Thomas J. Glynn, a former director of cancer science at the American Cancer Society.” By including the credentials of the people she is quoting ensures that people will pay extra close attention to these quotes.
Although this review was very well written there are some things that Olivia could have improved on. Firstly, I think it would have been beneficial if she had proofread her work. There were some simple grammar and spelling errors that could have been fixed with a proof read. These errors make it more difficult to read her review. Secondly, I also wish that she had described the study that the University of Michigan did. Rather than just telling us the results, it would have been beneficial if she had described how the results had came about.
I really enjoyed reading this review. I chose this review because I think that it is a very relevant topic to me. This article is mainly discussing people that are my age. I was amazed at the statistics that were presented by Olivia. I had no idea that the numbers were that high. This is clearly a cause for concern for our country and should be taken seriously. However, it should be seen that the number of teens smoking cigarettes had gone down. This is a very interesting topic that will only become more relevant as time goes on.