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Cigarette smoking among youth has shown considerable fluctuation since the mid-1970s, having first fallen, then remained stable, then raised again, and most recently declined. Additionally, the trends differ drastically between race and ethnic groups, the largest declines are occurring among Blacks and Hispanics. With the harm of smoking and the likelihood of teen smokers continuing the habit for decades to come, these trends have generated much interest. Despite speculation about the possible role of changes in individual characteristics that promote smoking and of larger-level changes in cultural norms, social strain, media influence, and cigarette prices, tests of such claims are rare. Generally, research done is to show trends and not explanations of teen smoking.

Cigarette and smoking facts as published by the CDC. 28.5 percent of high school students currently smoke cigarettes. This figure is down from 36.4 percent in 1997 and 34.8 percent in 1999. (CDC, 2001) "Current smoking is defined as having smoked on one or more days of the 30 days preceding the survey." (CDC, 2001) If teen smoking prevalence continues to decline at the current rate, the United States could achieve the 2010 national health objective of reducing current smoking rates among high school students to 16 percent. (CDC, 2001) Lifetime cigarette use among high school students is 63.9 percent, down from 70.4 percent in 1999. (CDC, 2001) Current frequent smoking, defined as smoking on at least 20 of the 30 days preceding the survey, decreased from 16.8 percent in 1999 to 13.8 percent in 2001. (CDC, 2001) In 2001, as in previous years, white and Hispanic students were significantly more likely than black students to report current smoking. (CDC, 2001)

Smoking is the most preventable cause of death. Approximately half of all Americans who continue to smoke will die from their cigarette addiction. Smoking accounts for at least 30 percent of all cancer deaths and 87 percent of lung cancer deaths. (CDC, 2001) Tobacco will kill 50 percent of young persons who start smoking early and become lifetime smokers. Half of these people will die in middle age, losing an average of 22 years of normal life expectancy. (CDC, 2001) Smoking is associated with increased risk for cancers of the mouth, nasal cavities, pharynx, larynx, esophagus, stomach, pancreas, liver, uterine cervix, kidney, bladder and myeloid leukemia. In addition to cancer, smoking is a major cause of heart disease, stroke, chronic bronchitis, and emphysema, and is associated with stomach ulcers. (American Cancer Society, 2004)

Many kids smoke or use tobacco products to feel "cool" and grown up or to fit in with peers. Some do it out of a feeling of rebellion. Others do it because it relieves feelings of depression and anxiety. Depressed teens may also do it out of the hopeless or self-destructive feelings associated with their depression. In other words, they know better, but feel it doesn't matter.

The primary factors associated with youth tobacco use include low socioeconomic status, use and approval of tobacco use by peers or siblings, smoking by parents or guardians, accessibility and availability of tobacco products, a perception that tobacco use is normative, lack of parental support or involvement, low levels of academic achievement, lack of skills to resist influences to tobacco use, lower self-image or self-esteem, belief in functional benefits of tobacco use, and lack of self-efficacy to refuse offers of tobacco.

Edwin Sutherland proposed his theory of Differential Association in 1939 in his book Principles of Criminology. He revised his theory several times between 1939 and 1947 when he introduced the final version of his theory.

Differential Association is a social learning theory, a normative-process. Behavior is learned, supporting nurture over nature. Learning depends on three variable factors; priority, intensity, and duration. Learning also involves; techniques, motives, attitudes, and definitions. According to sociologist Robert O. Keel (1994), "As one learns a preponderance of definitions favorable to deviance, one will engage in deviance."

Differential Association theory states that criminal behavior is learned behavior and that it is learned through interaction with others. Chicago School Theorists, Shaw and McKay, were heavy influences upon Sutherland's work. (Hoffmann, 2003: 756) Sutherland's theory of Differential Association remains popular with criminologists today because it is relatively simple to understand and logically addresses causes of delinquency. Additionally, much evidence has supported Sutherland's theory.

Sutherland's original Differential Association is based upon nine principles. These nine principles will not be addressed individually but rather grouped together for the sake of redundancy, length of this paper, and complexity of being abstract. Hence, covered in this paper will be the six major principles derived from the original theory.

There are two central components to this theory, content and process. Content is what one learns, techniques, motives, etcetera. Process is how one learns, meaning the manner in which content is learned. (Hoffmann, 2003: 761) The process is the same for all however, the content may be different.

The six major principles of Sutherland's Differential Association are as follows. First, the potential deviant must have curiosity or initial introduction and curiosity with deviant associate. Secondly, the potential deviant must have significant contact with deviant associate. Thirdly, the deviant associate teaches the "how to" to the potential deviant. Fourth, the deviant associate introduces the "tools" of deviance to the potential deviant. Fifth, the deviant associate legitimizes behavior. Lastly, the surrounding environment must support newly learned behavior of the now deviant. (Williams and McShane, 1994) To become deviant one must follow through with this process. It is possible for the potential deviant to drop out of this process at any stage.

According to Differential Association, criminal behavior is learned based on the interactions people have with others and the values that they receive during that interaction. One learns values from the primary agents of socialization, family, peers, media, or school. Those values learned either support or oppose deviant or criminal behavior. Sutherland also noted that individuals with an excess of criminal definitions will be more open to new criminal definitions and that individual will be less receptive to anti-criminal definitions. The theory does not emphasize whom one's associates are but rather upon the definitions provided by those associations. Once techniques are learned, values (or definitions) supporting that criminal behavior may be learned from just about anyone.

There are three potential problems with Sutherland's theory. First, the origins of deviance and crime cannot be accounted for or the situations that would have lead to dissatisfaction with the law. (Hoffmann, 2004) There are two possible answers to this problem, social disorganization would explain origins of crime and secondly, culture conflict would explain the situations that lead to dissatisfaction with the law.

Second, the terms of Sutherland's theory are difficult to test. Only qualitatively could one test all the possible ways a deviant or criminal might learn and even that might be impossible because of interpretations.

Finally, the third possible problem with this theory is asking what associations one must have to learn crime? It is not necessary to associate with criminals to learn deviance or crime. Sutherland's theory doesn't specifically answer why everyone in contact with an excess of criminal behavior patterns doesn't become criminal. The answer can be explained because Sutherland did not say that individuals become deviant or criminal by associating with other deviants or criminals but rather that a person becomes delinquent because of an "excess of definitions favorable to violation of law over definitions unfavorable to violation of the law". (Williams, 1994) Also, vice versa, some teens will associate with deviants and not become deviant themselves. A possible answer to this problem is the absence of favorable definitions may encourage deviance or crime.

Sutherland's Differential Association has received both praise and criticism. Even with some criticisms Sutherland's theory has had an important impact on criminology. Other social learning theories have been based upon Differential Association.

To answer the question, "Why do kids smoke?" the six principles within Sutherland's Differential Association theory will be used. The following is a breakdown and analysis through each of the six processes.

First, the potential deviant needs to have curiosity or initial contact with a deviant associate to gain interest. (Williams, 1994) Teens smoke for many reasons and often for the same reasons as adults do: to cope with stress, to control their weight, as a social habit and to combat boredom. One of the biggest reasons teens start to smoke is peer influence. Their friends do it. Studies show that this is especially true for girls. Although much research supports that media plays a significant part in influencing kids to smoke that topic will not be covered as Sutherland stated that media is insignificant in influencing kids.

Second, the potential deviant needs to have significant or intimate contact with the deviant. (Williams, 1994) Because peer influence is so strong and kids have such a need to find their place or where they fit in this step of the process is instrumental in learning the behavior of smoking as socially acceptable overriding any previous knowledge that the potential deviant has gained. Meaning, even though the potential deviant know all the bad things associated with smoking they will give this little credit as they are more concerned with fitting into their social circle.

Third, the deviant associate teaches the potential deviant the "how-to". (Williams, 1994) Assuming that the potential deviant and deviant are peers, meaning of the approximate same age, and part of the how-to is how-to not get caught. The content of what is being learned is not complex. Therefore, when it comes to teen smoking the biggest things to learn are how not to get caught by authorities (parents, friends, school officials) and how to obtain the illicit product. Young people say they find it easy to get cigarettes despite laws banning the sale of tobacco to minors. In a Census Bureau survey in 1992-93, 86 percent of teen's ages 15 to 19 said it was easy for minors to buy tobacco products in their community. (American Cancer Society, 2004) Only 12 percent thought it would be difficult. In 1994, the U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services estimated that three-fourths of the approximately 1 million tobacco outlets in the United States sell tobacco to minors, resulting in over $1 billion in sales each year. (American Cancer Society, 2004)

Fourth, the deviant associate introduces the "tools". (Williams, 1994) The learning includes; techniques of committing the crime, which are sometimes very simple, the specific direction of motives, drives, rationalizations, and attitudes.

Fifth, the deviant associate legitimizes the behavior to the potential deviant. (Williams, 1994) This stage of the process includes rationalizing and giving reasons for using tobacco. The negative effects will not be addresses as much as the pressures of fitting in.

Sixth and finally, the surrounding environment must support the potential deviants behavior. (Williams, 1994) This comes back to the new group of peers that are engaged with. The new deviant will be keeping company with other smokers, those who support what the deviant is choosing to do.

This analysis brings real world understanding to the social phenomenon of youth smoking and tobacco use because it explains why kids smoke. Kids smoke for a variety of reasons but they primarily revolve around who the youth is interacting with most. . .

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