Argumentative Essay About Why Smoking Should Be Banned

Ban Smoking in Public Places Smoking is one of the leading causes of preventable deaths in the United States, and doing it in public is even worse because smokers not only harm themselves, but also those around them. I remember how my great uncle would always smoke in his house regardless of his surroundings. When his daughter visited him for a vacation, she brought her three year old daughter with her. The baby was healthy before coming to her grandpa's house, but in less than two weeks, she had developed ear infections and started to cough. When they went to the doctors' office to find out how she had gotten it, the doctor linked it back to the second hand smoke that she was breathing in. When my great uncle found out about it, he finally started to care about where he was smoking and who he was with, and decided that he would smoke in a secluded place where no one but him may be affected. Like my great uncle in the past, many smokers think they could do whatever they want because it is their body, but to me, their right ends where my health begins. I believe that smoking in public places should be banned at a federal level because even the smallest wisp of smoke can do a lot of damage to the people around them and the environment. Smoking has been proven to have many deadly effects on humans and the environment that it would make sense to ban people doing it in public. Cigarettes negatively affect the environment in many ways that not many people seem to realize. According to a study by Tree Hugger “more than 4.5 trillion non-biodegradable filter-tipped cigarettes are thrown away annually somewhere in the world” (McLaren). Most cigarette butts are not thrown away properly because many can be easily found on the streets and even near bodies of water. “It takes about 18 months to 10 years for cigarette butts to decompose” (McLaren). It would make it easier for trash to keep on piling up, making the world a dirtier place. Not only does the trash make