Public Smoking Should Be Banned

It’s not hidden from anyone the disastrous negative effects of smoking on the health and the wealth of people. “About 440,000 people in the United States die each year from smoking – and tobacco-related illnesses, according to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC)” (Pappa. 10). Sadly enough, most smokers overspend on buying their own destruction from their hard earned money. Additionally, over $300 million is spent on “smoking-caused healthcare and Medicaid” on daily basis (Guilfoyle).  It’s interesting that the ban on indoor smoking is increasingly taking effect. It is a good step taken toward protecting the wellbeing of the public, mainly the nonsmokers. However, the visibility of that dangerous habit still remains a living tragic challenge to the health of the present and future generations in the form of public smoking. It’s an unavoidable temptation in the face of the youngsters, a hindrance on the way of those with the intentions to quit smoking, a risk to the health of nonsmokers in general, and a big contributor to the litter of the environment.

Children are the most susceptible individuals in societies. Social norms are their biggest teachers. They easily adopt the behaviors of the adults. When kids see people, they consider to be their role models, smoking every here and there, they won’t hesitate to translate the action as a glorious one which defines what an adult should do and thus start copying it. For instance, studies show that most smokers started smoking at an early age. “According to the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, more than 90 percent of adult smokers start smoking as teens, or younger” (Pappa. 10). In one of its daily tolls of tobacco use in the U.S, the campaign also publishes that more than “4,000 kids try their first cigarette each day” and more than “1,000 kids become regular daily smokers each day” (Guilfoyle). That’s a painful reality. If the visibility of smoking is limited by putting a strict ban on smoking in all public spaces, a lot of innocent little children will be saved.

It’s true that there are some smokers who wouldn’t think of quitting, but the reality is that their number is almost negligible compared to the large mass of smokers who wake up every morning with the intention to not light up any more cigarettes. The ban can be an effective factor to help those brave people who want to transform their lives from the regretful lives of cigarette smoking to healthier and smoke-free ones. It’s regretful, because the smoker hears, reads and watches the awareness campaigns against smoking every day – your health is in danger; you’re on the verge of getting cancer; if you don’t stop, there are high chances that smoking will take you to your grave and similar shocking statements pass by him almost every day. Smokers can feel the pain it takes to find yourself in the situation of wanting to quit while the public is not letting you because it’s enjoying a legal smoking habit to contaminate all your surroundings – even when you go to school there’s a big invitation attracting you to smoke. Banning smoking in all outside public spaces will not only save a great number of children from falling into the hazardous environment of smoking, but also help a lot of smokers take the courage to quit.

Generally speaking, the ban will also create a healthier smoke-free environment and reduce the risk of second-hand-smoking (SHS). The SHS is real. It’s not just possible in indoor places, but outdoor places as well. A recent study conducted by prominent scholars from number of Universities and centers of environmental health in the U.S revealed the effects of smoking in outside spaces on the health of nonsmokers. The researchers “assigned 28 participants to outdoor patios of a restaurant and a bar and an open-air site with no smokers on three weekend days… and collected saliva and urine samples immediately before and after the visits (post-exposure) and on the following morning and analyzed samples for cotinine and total NNAL, respectively” (Gideon St. Helen et al. 1010). The research concludes that “Salivary cotinine and urinary NNAL increased significantly in nonsmokers after outdoor SHS exposure… such exposures may increase risks of health effects associated with tobacco carcinogens” (Gideon St. Helen et al. 1010). Since public smoking is a great risk to the health of the public, a ban should be placed on it for the sake of the wellbeing of the public.

Another negative outcome of public smoking is its contribution to the litter of the environment. Cigarette butts are found almost everywhere. They damage the beauty of our country’s public spaces. According to the nonprofit group Keep America Beautiful, “Cigarette butts are the most frequently littered item. Tobacco products comprise 38% of all U.S. roadway litter and 30% at ‘transition points,’ places where smokers must discontinue smoking before proceeding.” While it’s true that cleaning up cigarette butts from public spaces is an effective tool, a ban on public smoking is more effective, as it puts an end to the availability of cigarette butts in our beautiful environment in the first place.

Some smokers almost get upset by the very moment this topic is raised. They argue that it infringes personal freedom. But if this is a point, then it’s like saying smokers’ freedom – to smoke in every outdoor spot – is more important than the health of the public and the beauty of the environment. That’s a selfish and cruel stance on the issue. If adult smokers like to put their own selves in risk, they are free to do so, but they shouldn’t be allowed to put others – especially children – in the same situation. Similarly, they shouldn’t be allowed to hold back those smokers who want to escape from it.

 In conclusion, cigarette smoking is not just bad for smokers, but rather for both the people and the land. When the publicity of smoking continues, the consequences are severely harsh. It’s a big risk to the health of the nonsmokers – both children and adults. It also distorts the image of our beautiful environment. Public smoking has to be banned in order for our society to be healthier and wealthier, and our environment to be more beautiful than ever.

 

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Works Cited

Gideon St. Helen, J et al. "Exposure to Secondhand Smoke Outside of a Bar and a Restaurant and Tobacco Exposure Biomarkers in Nonsmokers." Environmental Health Perspectives, Vol. 120, No. 7 (JULY 2012), pp. 1010-1016. Brogan & Partners. Web. 16 Apr. 2013.

<http://0-www.jstor.org.skyline.ucdenver.edu/stable/41548784>

Guilfoyle, Jessica. "THE DAILY TOLL OF TOBACCO USE IN THE USA." Campaign For Tobacco-Free Kids 122106 (2011): n.pag. Daily Toll. Web. 17 April 2013.

Pappa, Lauren. "Why do teens smoke? Despite the risks, many kids are still lighting up. Why?" Junior Scholastic 28 Nov. 2005: 10+. General OneFile. Web. 10 Apr. 2013.

"Results from the Nation’s Largest Litter Study." Www.kab.org. Keep America Beautiful, Jan. 2010. Web. 16 Apr. 2013. <http://www.kab.org/site/DocServer/LitterFactSheet_CIGARETTE.pdf?docID=5182>.