Should Smoking be Banned?

The debate on banning of smoking has been ongoing for a long time worldwide. Personally, I am against smoking, and it bothers me when I have to hold my breath as I walk near smokers to avoid inhaling the smoke. This essay describes why I support the ban of smoking based on the harmful effects of smoking on both the smokers and second-hand smokers.

The first reason smoking should be banned is because it affects our health. Smoking is the leading cause of death resulting from preventable diseases in the United States contributing to an estimated one in five deaths (Health and Prevention). In addition, smoking increases the risk of developing heart disease, stroke, and lung cancer among smokers because of the compound composition (Health and Prevention). Further, smoking increase the risk of developing cardiovascular diseases among smokers. For instance, smoking contributes to the development of stroke and coronary heart disease, which is the leading cause of death in the United States (Health and Prevention). As such, to reduce and prevent these deaths, the ban on smoking is inevitable. Apart from directly affecting the health of the smokers, smoking also affects non-smokers.

Secondly, second-hand smoke from smoking affects people around the smokers and should thus be banned. In essence, the second-hand smoke comes from the tip of the cigarette and the smoke the smoker breathes out. Ultimately, people who are exposed to second-hand smoke are at the same risk of developing the same health complications as the smokers. For example, the chances of developing lung cancer or heart disease for a person exposed to second-hand smoke increase to about 25% (Health and Prevention). Second-hand smoking also affects unborn children.

Thirdly, women who smoke during pregnancy put the health of their unborn children at risk further validating why smoking should be banned (Nhs.uk). As far as we know, pregnant women who engage in smoking increase the risk of complications such as miscarriage, premature birth, low weight baby, and stillbirths, In addition, they put their lives at risk (Nhs.uk). In addition to the above risks associated with smoking, it also causes a myriad of other problems. For example, when people smoke in public, young teenagers are likely to copy the habit without an understanding of the risks involved, which is another reason smoking should be banned.

Despite these risks associated with smoking, those who do not support the banning of smoking argue that smoking is a personal choice that people make, and so it would be unfair to place a blanket ban on smoking as it is not against the law. More importantly, they argue that passive smokers make the choice to inhale second-hand smoke by going to places where people are smoking especially pubs, which they argue would be driven out of business by the ban on smoking. While this is true, it is unfair to impose the risks associated with smoking to others for whatever reason. Additionally, the health of people is more important than business, so the argument that businesses will close down because of a ban is weak. These arguments do not therefore warrant why there should not be a ban on smoking.

Overall, smoking should be banned because of the many health risks associated with it. Primarily, people who develop health complications arising from smoking also end up spending a lot of money to manage these diseases. As a result, a ban on smoking will ensure that the smoking population improves their health and saves those finances that would be used to manage the complications. In addition, pregnant mothers who also smoke endanger the lives of their unborn children and this is morally wrong. Consequently, a ban on smoking will, therefore, lead to a reduced mortality rate.

Works Cited

Health, CDC/Office, and Centers Prevention. ‘CDC – Fact Sheet – Health Effects Of Cigarette Smoking – Smoking & Tobacco Use’. Smoking and Tobacco Use. Web. 29 Apr. 2015.

Nhs.uk,. ‘What Are The Health Risks Of Smoking? – Health Questions – NHS Choices’. N.p., 2013. Web. 29 Apr. 2015.

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