Should Smoking Be Illegal

Smoking should be illegal in the United States. Not only is smoking annoying for non-smokers, but it carries many big problems with it. Smoking should be banned because of the environment and economic factors, health risks and the negative effects it has on nonsmoker and children. Cigarettes have large effects on society in the area of environmental problems it carries with it. Smoking pollutes the air and causes a lot of litter. People who smoke usually throw their butts anywhere such as out the car window, in someone’s yard or even in stream. Litter from cigarette butts is such a big problem because they take up to twelve years to decompose and according to Butts Out the world annually discards about 4.3 trillion cigarette butts. (Warren McLaren.) Not only are the cigarette butts ugly to look at, they affect wildlife. Also, there have been cigarette butts found in the stomachs fish and birds because they think that they are food. Another way this could affect the environments is that cigarette butts can cause fires. Any cigarette butts thrown on grass and bushfires each year are attributed to cigarettes. (VLAA- Cigarette Litter Statistics) There are also the economic problems that come with smoking in public. A lot of money spent on something that could be avoided. In addition to economic problems to society as a whole, smoking can cause economic burden on families. Cigarettes are expensive and in some families they are one of the top priorities. Many times people are more worried about buying cigarettes than they are about buying food. The majority of smokers live below the poverty line so they obviously do not need the added expense of buying cigarettes.
I am sure that most, if not all smokers are aware of some of the health risks that come with smoking cigarettes. According to Terry Martin, “men who smoke are about 23 times more likely to develop lung cancer and women who smoke are about 13 times more likely than mans. Cigarettes need to be illegal because also harm nonsmoker and children. If someone is smoking cigarettes around other people they are inhaling the tobacco which can damage lungs. Studies shown that nonsmokers who reside with smoker have 20% to 30% increase in risk for developing lung cancer when compared with nonsmokers who do not reside with a smoker. (Melissa Conrad Stoppler)
Smoking should stay banned for all public areas. Smoking negatively effects society through environmental problems, economic problems, health risks to others, and especially health problems it cause within children. There is no legal reason to smoke cigarettes and doing so does not benefit anyone in any way. Smoking signs are not visible immediately because it has long term affects. stoppler, Melissa, and Davis Charles. "Secondhand Smoke." n. page. Web. 25 Nov. 2011. <http://www.medicinenet.com/secondhand_smoke/article.htm>.
Martin, Terry. "Cancer Statistics." Smoke and Cancer. (2005): n. page. Web. 25 Nov. 2011. <http://quitsmoking.about.com/od/tobaccostatistics/a/cancerstats.htm>.
"Cigarette Butt Litter Statistics." victorial litter action alliance. (2003): n. page. Web. 25 Nov. 2011.
McLearn, Warren. "Cigarette Butts: One Huge Problem, Two Solutions." (2005): n. page. Web. 25 Nov. 2011. <http://www.treehugger.com/green-food/cigarette-butts-one-huge-problem-two-solutions.html>.