Should Smoking in Public Places be Banned? Essay

Introduction

Many countries have done or are still practicing some efforts to cut down the increasing of number of cases that caused by smoking.

In many countries, smoking is public places is banned. People are not allowed to smoke in restaurants, schools, cafés and pubs.

Bad habit like smoking makes smokers prone to dreadful diseases. An average of 3 million people in a year died because of cigarette smoking.

Biological Background

Tobacco was introduced to Europe by the explorer Columbus in the 15 th century. It has slowly be used in pipes and cigars, sniffed as snuff and chewed (Healey 1992).

There are a few of chemicals in the tobacco smoke which are harmful to human’s health such as tar, nicotine, carbon monoxide and other chemicals.

Nicotine is poisonous enough to kill an adult by consuming two or three drops of it.

Tar is the main cause of lung and throat cancer. It also leads smokers to expose to bronchial and respiratory problem. It will cause addition in smoking to smokers. Furthermore, it has a great effect to cause smoker to inhale more deeply and smoke more often (Healey 1992)

Carbon monoxide is not only can be found in smoke produced by vehicles but also in tobacco smoke. A typical smoker will have high level of carbon monoxide content in blood and hence it will slowly affect heart’s normal function (Healey 1992).

As for other chemicals, some toxic substances like acetone, ammonia and hydrogen cyanide are found in cigarette smoke (Healey 1992).

Reasons why Smoking should be banned in public places

1. Causes serious health problem

According to Action on Smoking and Health (ASH), almost 100 million Americans are suffering from health problems like asthma, lung cancer, chronic bronchitis, chronic sinusitis, emphysema, SIDS (sudden infant death syndrome) and other breathing-related conditions which make them especially susceptible to secondhand smoke.

Centers for Disease Controls (CDC) has warned that breathing drifting tobacco smoke for as little as 30 minutes can raise a non-smoker’s risk of suffering a fatal heart attack to that of a smoker.

According to Cancer Research, there are more than hundred people each year in the UK die from lung cancer caused by passive smoking.

Kaye Healey (1992) claims that smoke from other people’s cigarettes can harm those around them because side stream smoke contains more tar, nicotine and carbon monoxide than main stream smoke a smoker inhales.

2. Air pollution

Many studies have shown that the concentration of secondhand tobacco smoke in outdoor area is always higher than in indoor area.

Hence, the smoke comes from the cigarettes will cause air pollution.

3. Gives unpleasant smell

If a smoker is smoking in public places like restaurants, parks and playgrounds, non-smokers are forced in the vicinity to smoke too. They could never escape from this condition.

4. Improves non-smokers’ lives

According to Caroline Boase (2003), banning smoking in public places will not only help non-smokers to improve their lives but also encourage smokers who caused the problem to help themselves too.

5. Reduces the number of smokers and the number of cigarettes by causing inconvenience

If government were to ban smoking in public places, smokers will have lesser chance to smoke and eventually they will be less addictive in smoking and may be quit smoking.

Reasons why Smoking should not be banned in public places

1. Affects establishments known to be frequented by smokers

Based on a study that conducted in several Ontario cities (Ottawa, London, Kingston and Kitchener), after smoking was ban, sales at bars and pubs were decreased by 22.5 percent than previous.

2. Freedom of smokers

Smokers would not like to lose their freedom to do what they like. It is believed that everyone has own rights to choose to smoke or not to smoke.

3. Inconvenient and difficult to enforce

There are a large number of people who smoke so it is a tough challenge to enforce the law on them. Besides, it also cause inconveniences to smokers as they are not being able to smoke whenever they wish to smoke.

Conclusion

In my opinion, I agree that smoking in public places should be banned.

References

Healey, Kaye.  (1992).  Deadly habits?.  Wentworth, N.S.W :  Spinney Press in association with Independence Educational Publishers