Why Public Smoking Should Be Banned
Katelyn Anderson
Dr. Taylor
ENG 015
15 January 2013
Banning Public Smoking Smoking cigarettes should be banned in public areas because it endangers innocent bystanders, such as pregnant women, people with asthma, and adolescents, as well as smokers themselves. By prohibiting smoking in public places, we would concurrently be protecting innocent people from secondhand smoke, as well as any potential symptoms or diseases it could cause. As a result, we would see a significant decrease in the amount of citizens suffering from lung diseases, heart problems and several types of cancers. Not only would we see a decrease in the affects caused by secondhand smoke, but also we would see a decrease in the number of smokers affected by cigarettes and the diseases and problems caused by them. This decrease would occur because if we ban smoking in public areas, we likewise prevent the smokers from having the ability and convenience of smoking whenever they way, wherever they want. This inconvenience caused by the ban would discourage many smokers and potentially even cause some smokers to quit. Although many will still stick to their bad habits of smoking, the inconvenience would still have a positive effect because they would not have the capability of smoking as often as they currently do without the ban. Therefore, banning smoking in public places would benefit both smokers and non-smokers. While it can be argued that not every person who smokes in a public place is directly causing harm to others, it is still a fact that smoking is a serious health risk, and the amount of people affected by smoking, whether he/she is a smoker or not, is significant enough. Cigarette smoke may indirectly cause harm to others by increasing the amount of pollution in the air. Though this is not classified as secondhand smoke, it is still harmful both to others, as well as to the environment. As reported in Tobacco Control by an Italian study, “the air pollution emitted by cigarettes is
Dr. Taylor
ENG 015
15 January 2013
Banning Public Smoking Smoking cigarettes should be banned in public areas because it endangers innocent bystanders, such as pregnant women, people with asthma, and adolescents, as well as smokers themselves. By prohibiting smoking in public places, we would concurrently be protecting innocent people from secondhand smoke, as well as any potential symptoms or diseases it could cause. As a result, we would see a significant decrease in the amount of citizens suffering from lung diseases, heart problems and several types of cancers. Not only would we see a decrease in the affects caused by secondhand smoke, but also we would see a decrease in the number of smokers affected by cigarettes and the diseases and problems caused by them. This decrease would occur because if we ban smoking in public areas, we likewise prevent the smokers from having the ability and convenience of smoking whenever they way, wherever they want. This inconvenience caused by the ban would discourage many smokers and potentially even cause some smokers to quit. Although many will still stick to their bad habits of smoking, the inconvenience would still have a positive effect because they would not have the capability of smoking as often as they currently do without the ban. Therefore, banning smoking in public places would benefit both smokers and non-smokers. While it can be argued that not every person who smokes in a public place is directly causing harm to others, it is still a fact that smoking is a serious health risk, and the amount of people affected by smoking, whether he/she is a smoker or not, is significant enough. Cigarette smoke may indirectly cause harm to others by increasing the amount of pollution in the air. Though this is not classified as secondhand smoke, it is still harmful both to others, as well as to the environment. As reported in Tobacco Control by an Italian study, “the air pollution emitted by cigarettes is