It’s right before one of CHS opening spring sports games and sophomore John is nervous. Though he’s risking suspension from the team if caught, he subtly pulls a cigarette from his bag to take a smoke.

Although tobacco use is illegal for persons under 18, this does not stop underage students from using the drug.

“I often will smoke a cig before school or on the way to a basketball or football game,” John said. “It keeps me alert and gives me a buzz that makes the events more fun.”

According to MCPS policy, all forms of tobacco use on MCPS property or at a school sanctioned event are illegal and will result in a maximum ten day suspension and police referral. If any student participating in a school sport is caught using tobacco, they are suspended from participation in sports for that year.

Along with cigarettes, John, who is on the starting lineup of a boys JV team, uses chewing tobacco or dip after coming home from school events.

“Many times I will come home after a hard practice or game and will pack a lip of dip,” John said. “Not only does [chewing tobacco] work as a muscle relaxant but it also helps me sleep that night.”

Although to many students using tobacco may seem to bring only positive effects, there are extreme drawbacks as well.

According to a September 2009 survey from the American Cancer Society, there are approximately 5,100 annual deaths from oral cancer due to tobacco and about 90,000 deaths from lung cancer due to smoking.

“I know of all the possible health conditions I put my body at risk to when I smoke and dip,” John said. “I never take any of those statistics seriously because [I know a lot of people] that use the products and are perfectly healthy.”

However, not all students have the same mindset as John. Many students fear the risk of such medical conditions and seek help to quit using the products.

“There are currently 12 students enrolled at CHS that have come to me for help to quit [using tobacco],” health room staff Robyn Baron said. “In order to help them quit, I sign them up for programs run by the Karen foundation, which helps kids quit using tobacco.”

According to Baron, she hopes all students will come to her if they need help quitting. Despite the MCPS policy against tobacco, she has a 100 percent confidentiality guarantee, and students will not face negative repercussions for trying to quit tobacco.

Junior Ben used cigarettes during his freshman and most of his sophomore year, but since May of sophomore year he has been trying to quit.

“At first I never thought cigarettes would affect my health, but when I had to run a mile in gym class and could only run it in 13 minutes and 28 seconds, I knew it was time for a change,” Ben said.

Even with all the harmful health conditions that tobacco users are faced with, that is not what most tobacco using students are afraid of. In most cases, they fear what will happen if their parents discovering that they use the products.

“Once my [parents] found a pack of cigarettes in my bag freshman year and [they] grounded me for three months,” Ben said. “They were extremely upset and constantly let me knew how disappointed they were.”

Along with the risk of parental disappointment, many students find themselves quitting because of their friend’s perception of them when they use.

“Although my friends have never directly confronted me about my tobacco use, they often hinted that they would like me to quit.” Ben said. “[That] was one of the main reasons I decided to quit.”

According to Ben’s friend, sophomore Harry, he never talked to Ben up front about the use, but he and all of Ben’s friends are happy that he decided to quit.

“We all really wanted [Ben] to quit but none of us had the nerve to talk to him about it because we knew he thought he needed cigarettes,” Harry said.

Students who quit almost always say that when looking back at their first time using tobacco, they regret every moment of it.

“I don’t know why I decided to try [smoking], but I remember my brother bringing out a pack of cigarettes and asking me if I wanted one.” Ben said. “I replied ‘Why not’ and I regret those two words ever since.”