No smoking in public

Abstract

Smoking tobacco is a destructive addiction. Not only is it harmful to your body, smoking in public in public is detrimental to society. Along with tobacco, there are other chemicals inside a cigarette such as nicotine, arsenic, ammonia, and tar. Smoking one cigarette reduces your life by about 10 minutes and can cause lung cancer and other respiratory illnesses. Not only is harm done to the actual smoker, but innocent bystanders are affected. Bans against smoking were started to protect others against the effects of secondhand smoke. Prohibiting smoking in public outdoor places will also shield young children from seeing smoking as a common adult behavior to be emulated. To continue progress in reducing smoking, current tobacco-control interventions should be targeted toward the more vulnerable smokers. Public education about the harms of tobacco is one effective strategy for raising awareness and decreasing smoking prevalence in the general population.

No Smoking in Public
For many years, tobacco companies advertised that is was cool to smoke; but the results of tobacco use are not so cool. As smoking does more than make your clothes stink, it causes internal damage to the inside of the body. Sometimes, the damage is irreversible. As it is a decision of a smoker to smoke wherever he or she pleases, consideration of others’ health should be taken into consideration. While there are no laws against smoking in general, the government should have regulations against smoking in public.
Choosing to smoke is a personal decision and a smoker must understand the risks and consequences that come with the addiction. Along with tobacco, there are other chemicals inside a cigarette such as nicotine, arsenic, ammonia, and tar (Cigarettes, 2009). Butler (2013) states nicotine, the main ingredient in tobacco, attacks the Central Nervous System (CNS) and triggers the release of dopamine. Dopamine is a chemical that makes a personal feel good in response to pleasure (Butler, 2013) . Nicotine, over time increases the stimulation threshold and will lead to more and more tobacco usage to get the original buzz.
Your lungs are lined with tiny hairs that clean away inhaled debris. Every time your smoke is inhaled, these hairs slow down, making their jobs harder to keep the lungs clear from other foreign pathogens (Butler, 2013). Smoking one cigarette reduces your life by about 10 minutes (Butler, 2013). Since the average life spans for both male and female are averaging 75 years, smoking a pack a day for twenty years will reduce your life by 10.5 years (Life, 2013). Lung cancer and other respiratory illnesses are not the only results from smoking; combined with other diseases, such as Diabetes, life threatening effects also wreak havoc on the body (Smoking, 2014).
Not only is harm done to the actual smoker, but innocent bystanders are affected. There are three different ways smoke can enter the body. Of the three types, firsthand smoking is when an individual smokes a tobacco product. Secondhand smoking involves one individual smoking around a nonsmoker; the smoke is ingested from the smoker’s tobacco product by the nonsmoker. Lastly, third hand smoking involves a smoker having fumes on their person, via hair or clothes, around a non-smoker and the fumes are inhaled by the nonsmoker (First, 2013). Inhaling the tobacco or even non-inhaling tobacco, in the case of cigars, both produce the same effects as nicotine will still enter the blood stream (Cigars, n.d). The effects from all forms are all detrimental.
Smoking tobacco can lead to many forms of cancer to include that of the mouth, throat and lungs. Also, vasoconstriction of blood arteries will cause long term effects that can lead to heart attacks, strokes, and aneurysms of the blood vessels (Butler, 2013). Pregnant women, who are exposed to smoking, may give birth to a fetus with a low birth weight (Reproductive, 2014). Stop Smoking (2014) states that more than half of Americans who smoke will die from the complications of smoking or related diseases caused by smoking. It has been proven by evidence that second hand smoke is equal to first hand smoking and the risk for developing cancers and respiratory symptoms are the same (Questions, 2013). Although smokers know the risk behind smoking, society recognizes:
People have the right to not be involuntarily exposed to known carcinogenic substances, even if only to small amounts and for brief periods. This insures that people outside are not exposed even to minute amounts as they pass by. Similarly, we would not tolerate someone who filed down old brake drums in a playground, thereby releasing even tiny amounts of asbestos into the air. Secondhand tobacco smoke is officially classified by the federal government as a ‘known human carcinogen’ – exactly the same category as asbestos (Reasons, 2002).
Since asbestos is a known toxic chemical classified by the federal government, tobacco should be considered just as dangerous.
Starting in Minnesota in 1975, public restaurants had nonsmoking sections (Minnesota, n.d.). In 1985, Colorado had to establish separately ventilated smoking and nonsmoking sections because smoke from the smoking section would drift to the nonsmoking section which defeated the purpose (Colorado, n.d.). In actuality, the building would need two completely blocked off areas. In 1999, California became the first state to ban to smoking in all public places including restaurants and bars (California, n.d.). As a result of the no smoking bans, many establishments did provide a designated covered smoking area to those who wanted to continue to smoke near the establishment.
Bans against smoking were started to protect others against the effects of secondhand smoke. In addition to having cleaner air, health care costs are lowered and overall work productivity has increased. Hospitals, especially, are currently smoke free environments with surrounding areas included. Signs are now are posted in restaurants, bars, and parks stating that the areas are smoke free zones. Around the United States, 81.5% of the population is now covered by a smoke free provision act (Defending,1998). In total, there are signs banning smoking in 843 parks and 150 beaches (Defending,1998).
Tobacco is one of the most heavily marketed products. Companies spend over $34 million dollars annually to advertise products (Stop, 2002). “Power walls,” tobacco stands located at the checkout counter, “are highly engineered by tobacco companies to maximize visual intrusiveness and instigate impulse purchases” (Stop, 2002). The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has shown that more than 85% of smokers start before the age of 18 with an average age of 14 years old (Life, 2013). More children today will die from smoking related illness than from alcohol, illegal drugs, AIDS, car accidents, murder and suicide combined (Tobacco, 2010). The American Journal of Preventive Medicine, in a 2001 monograph, concluded that:
Youth are highly susceptible to tobacco (Choi WS, 2002). ‘Changing Adolescent Smoking Prevalence,’ the National Cancer Institute reviewed the evidence on how tobacco advertising and promotional activities affect youth smoking initiation, and concluded that the studies show the causal relationship between tobacco marketing and smoking initiation seemed unassailable.
As companies target a younger society, legislation should also place regulation on tobacco advertisements.
Companies market products by branding products that target diverse communities. According to Stop Smoking (2002), companies target Hispanics, American Indians, and Alaskan natives by branding the products Rio, Dorado, and American Spirit; also, woman are targeted more than men as some companies package the tobacco products in shiny black boxes with flowery pink borders. Promotional giveaways include products like berry flavored lip balm and hot pink, cellular phone jewelry and this results in over 173,000 women dying yearly from tobacco related diseases (Stop, 2002).
Since public places have enforced nonsmoking bans, cigarette butt liter has reduced. Discarded butts are not only harmful to nature but also to wildlife as they can be ingested and young children may be tempted to pick up the butts that still contain a fair amount of carcinogens and toxic chemicals. Prohibiting smoking in public outdoor places will also shield young children from seeing smoking as a common adult behavior to be emulated. Legislation aims to reduce the public’s exposure to second hand smoke and promote healthy public environments. Under the Tobacco Control Act, banning smoking in public places will reduce the number of youths smoking by restricting access to tobacco products (Tobacco, n.d.).
Since President Obama signed the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act into Law in June 2009, the FDA can now regulate the marketing, manufacturing and sale of tobacco products (Tobacco Products, 2013). To continue progress in reducing smoking, current tobacco-control interventions should be targeted toward the more vulnerable smokers. Educating the public about the harms of tobacco is one effective strategy for raising awareness and decreasing smoking prevalence in the general population (Caraballo, 2013). Indeed, as smoking is being banned in the growing number of indoor areas, people can expect freedom from these toxic fumes, and to expect air unpolluted by tobacco smoke wherever they may congregate.

References
Butler, J. L. (2013). Hole 's Human Anatomy & Physiology. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill Companies.
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