By the time you
finish reading the following sentence, someone has just died from the harmful
effects of cigarette smoking. Every 6.5 seconds a current or former smoker dies
(WHO). Smoking has grown to be a major problem; it began in about 5000 B.C
(Wikipedia) where only a small population was involved in smoking. Today in the
United States of America alone there are over 43 million smokers. Smoking
should be publically banned due to the negative health, economic, and
environmental effects caused by it.
Although smoking is perceived to be negative and harmful, there are positive and beneficial attributes to it. In the United States, a net income of $35,713,023,879 (Working for America) is generated as tax dollars from the tobacco industry every year. This is extremely beneficial to the government because it helps fund many expenses the government incurs over the year such as education, repair and construction projects, army expenses, and government official salaries. The tobacco industry is not only beneficial to the government but also to many farmers across the world. The tobacco plant allows farmers a crop to grow and to fill their entire land and due to the high demand it results in huge profit gains. The tobacco plant has become its own industry and with that it creates job. There are over 662,402 direct jobs created solely by the tobacco industry in the United States (Working for America). The creation of jobs leads to a multiplier effect were those employees that bring home a pay cheque start stimulating the economy by making more purchases. These employees purchase necessities such as food, shelter, and clothing, they also make more purchases such as cars, furniture, household appliances, and pay taxes. Those purchases made by employees support other industries which will create more jobs for those industries and ultimately lead to more pay cheques being take home every month and then money is spent in other industries and the cycle goes continues over and over. Another positive effect of smoking is the carbon dioxide byproduct. In high doses this byproduct can be lethal and even deadly; however in low doses carbon dioxide can actually be beneficial. Scientists have discovered that in low dosages, carbon dioxide in a person’s bloodstream prevents clotting. Blood clotting in the bloodstream is the lead cause for heart attacks and strokes, minimizing clotting reduces the chances of getting a heart attack or stroke. However the average person does not know the safest low dose amount of carbon dioxide therefore not smoking and sticking to exercise is the best way to play it safe.
Smoking’s biggest negative side effect is the way it affects your health. The bottom line is that cigarette smoking is a slow killer; however it also has taken away young lives. Cigarettes contain over a thousand ingredients, just by looking at the ingredients any one with common sense should be able to deduce that smoking is lethal. Cigarettes contain chemicals such as cadmium which is used in batteries, carbon monoxide that is found in exhaust fumes, methanol which is used as rocket fuel, arsenic which is a lethal poison, DDT which is an insecticide, polonium which is a radioactive element, and those are just a few examples (Cigarettes made illegal). Cigarettes are like a cocktail of the world’s worst substances available to man all rolled up in a nice addictive cigarette. All these chemicals leave toxic deposits in our lungs and other organs that impair their function. This causes smokers to have prolonged illnesses, see physicians more often, and a reduced immune system response. Cancer is the primary risk of cigarette smoking, there are many forms of it. Forms of cancer specifically related to smoking include, lung, kidney, larynx, head, neck, breast, bladder, esophagus, pancreas, stomach, and that’s not even all of them. Oral cancer is a serious condition that include cancers of the oral cavity. Smoking stains teeth, leads to bad breath, tooth loss, loss of sense, and loss of the taste sensation. Pulmonary disease is also caused by cancer which is permanent. Pulmonary disease is incurable; it is characterized by shortness of breath, persistent cough and damage to the lungs. Smoking also affects the cardiovascular system, within one minute the heart rate begins to rise, increasing by as much as 30 percent during the first 10 minutes of smoking (Cigarettes made illegal). Smoking increases the chances of heart disease, stroke, and peripheral vascular disease.
Although cigarettes can be beneficial to the economy, they can also be negative economically. With the average price of a pack of cigarettes ranging from seven to twelve dollars the average smoker spends between $2,500 to $3,300 per year (Quit Smoking Save Money). With the increasing rate of unemployment this means that people are spending $2,500 to $3,300 of money they don’t have. People start to give up the necessities in order to afford their cigarettes, there have been many scenarios where people are financially uncomfortable but still need their cigarettes. An example that is floating around online is the fact that people on food stamps are buying cigarettes. People claim that food stamps are barely enough to make it through the month and any extra money you have should be put towards more food for your family. Using that money to buy cigarettes seems somewhat unethical and unfair to certain people. There are studies that back this up and say that smoking and poverty are linked, and in some of the poorest households, ten percent of the income is spent on cigarettes. Leaving families with less money to spend on the essentials needed.
Unfortunately, in many ways the environment is negatively affected by cigarette smoking. One of the noticeable issues is the litter problem, most of the time people are smoking outdoors or in their cars and as soon as they are done they just toss it on the ground. Environmentalists claim that two billion cigarette butts are littered every day. This dirties our streets and sidewalks and makes them look unattractive, however the bigger problem is that cigarettes are not biodegradable. That means whenever it rains and those cigarette butts are relocated into a river or creek, animals mistake those nicotine filled cigarette butts for food and die do the chemicals that are still in those cigarettes. Cigarettes are also very selfish for resources, every year 600 million trees are destroyed to provide fuel to dry the tobacco (J. Polito). Considering the fact that a modern cigarette manufacturing machine uses more than six kilometers of paper per hour, we can conclude that it takes 1 tree to produce 300 cigarettes (W. McLaren). The tobacco plant requires an abnormal amount of potassium, when farmed the tobacco plant leaves the soil in extremely poor conditions preventing essential food and cash crops from being planted. Another aspect of the tobacco plant is that it is known to be sensitive which makes it prone to many diseases, therefore it requires many applications of pesticides. Up to sixteen applications of pesticides are used within one growing period , these are very strong chemicals that have negative side effects. The chemicals can run off into water courses that can contaminate the water supplies, this leads to diseases being spread uncontrollably to both humans and animals that consume the water. The increased use of pesticide tends to eventually develop a resistance in mosquitoes and flies. This in turn causes the control of diseases such as malaria to be extremely more difficult. With the increased resistance, stronger pesticides will be used which will cause an even harsher effect on our water systems that will lead to more disease being spread. Mosquitoes and flies will also come to be resistant to those pesticides and then stronger ones will be developed, although it may take time sooner or later it will get out of control. The actual smoking process itself also has a negative effect on the environment due to the gases it emits. These gases contribute to pollution and are slowly destroying the ozone layer, which will ultimately lead to global warming, and increased rays of radiation breaching the atmosphere from the sun.
With the negative health, economic, and environmental effects caused by cigarette smoking, I believe it should be heavily restricted. However people may have the counter argument that cigarette smoking is a justifiable and necessary right to an individual. One may argue that smoking is a choice and is to be made by him or herself, while aware of the side effects. One may also argue that since cigarette smoking affects only the health of the smoker, then it is solely up to them whether or not to participate in this action. Making the decision for smokers will be considered an invasion of privacy and the constitution, since you are taking away from their personal rights. However one thing smokers don’t realize is the fact that with every cigarette they smoke they are affecting other people no matter how far away they are. In order for a cigarette to work, you need to be in a space that consists of an atmosphere and oxygen, that is virtually anywhere on this earth. When you start smoking however, the smoker benefits by having a filter so that the chemicals within the cigarette aren’t ingested, instead these chemicals are released into the atmosphere along with the carbon dioxide. These toxins travel through the atmosphere freely and then other people blindly and unwillingly inhale these toxins. This is when the defense arguments of free will and invasion of privacy vanish, there are innocent people being negatively affected by the decisions made by smokers. My family and I had an old family friend who never touched a cigarette in his life, yet his life came to an end. He developed symptoms similar to and worse than smokers, it ultimately lead to cancer and he passed away. This was becase he worked late nights in an environment where everyone around him was smoking and he was breathing in all that second hand smoke which eventually got him sick. This is only one example of the countless cases that have occurred, this is proof and motive that smoking should be publically banned; the biggest argument smokers had has been diminished.
With all these negative side affects you may have developed a question, if smoking is as terrible as it sounds and has been around for so long, why is it yet to be banned? In the United States there are two main reasons. These include the invasion of personal privacy and free will, as well as economic reasons. The United States is a county known for the land of free, and the country prides itself in providing freedom for everyone. The reason why smoking hasn’t been banned is due to the fact that the country fears reaching obstacles where people will file personal rights complaints against the government. As stated earlier, a net income of $35,713,023,879 is generated as tax dollars from the tobacco industry every year. If the government were to publically ban smoking they would potentially lose a large amount of that money. The government also fears that many people will lose their jobs and not be able to recover, this means that the government would not only lose tax dollars, but will also have to spend more money to support the workers.
With that being said cigarette smoking should be heavily restricted in any public setting to protect the rights of smokers who want to destroy their own bodies, but in this scenario when forced to choose they must uphold the right to all others to live a healthy life. Banning cigarette smoking in public spaces isn’t about taking away rights because the smokers will still have the right to smoke in their own space where no one else is affected.
Scientists recently introduced the term third-hand smoke and discussed that there are even more negative health side effects to innocent bystanders. This brings us to two more problems, one as we already know that smoking in front of someone is harmful, however now even smoking away from them is harmful! In order to solidify this proposal two topics need to be discussed. Do involuntary parties come to “significant harm” due to second-hand and third-hand smoke? Does the right to smoke and private property rights overrule the rights to good health?
Involuntary parties include anyone who is unaware or is non-consenting to be in an environment where a cigarette is being smoked, or an area where a cigarette has been previously smoked. In reference to the smoker, their cigarette comes built in with a filter that protects the smoker against the dangerous chemicals that the cigarette expel. However the smoker is the only one that is protected against these dangerous chemicals, neither the environment nor anyone surrounding the smoker has any protection against these chemicals. These chemicals are what cause second and third-hand smoke.
“ Scientific evidence shows that there is no safe level of exposure to secondhand smoke (Cancer.org).”
No matter the intensity of second and third-hand smoke, someone is being harmed. People who are trying to get the most out of their lives, by eating healthy, avoiding toxins, exercising, and staying away from harmful things, and have it all ruined by simply being an area where a cigarette has been smoked. Second-hand smoke can cause cancer in non-smokers, as well as breathing problems and heart disease. Anyone who breathes secondhand smoke get colds and the flu more easily and more often, they often die younger than those who weren’t exposed to it. Second-hand smoke also has a major effect on pregnant women, there are many risks to pregnant women who breathe second-hand smoke. The effects include potential miscarriage, premature births causing smaller and less healthy newborns, and infants who are more likely to develop sudden infant death syndrome (National Cancer Institute). Third hand smoke is the residue from a cigarette long after its been extinguished that sticks to virtually to any surface it’s been around. Third hand smoke absorbs into walls, clothing, furniture, even the interior or cars and remains harmful for days, weeks, even months (National Cancer Institute). It causes cancer and the other harmful effects caused from actually smoking. The worst part is in most situations people won’t even know they are being affected by third-hand smoke, they may rent or buy a car that has had cigarettes smoked in it, or they may rent a home that a month ago someone was smoking two to three packs a day.
Ultimately banning smoking would be beneficial to everyone in the long run, however in the short term it would be undoubtedly harmful due to their addiction. If smokers were not allowed to harm others in a way that was convenient for them, it is not a tragic loss of liberty. However, it is a tragic loss of liberty to have others simply take years of your life away, as well as force medical expenses on you in a country already burdened with them such as the United States. Preventing private property from being exempt from no-smoking laws is going to be worth the inconvenience. Some may argue that it would be a direct violation of the right to do with one’s property as one wishes, however there are limits to property rights. Just because you have the right to do what you wish with your property doesn’t give you the right to shoot anyone walking in or nearby, nor does it give you the right to pollute the shared water or air. Just because you live on property that doesn’t belong to you does not mean forfeiting your rights.
There have been many government and private institutions discussing and implementing the public ban of cigarette smoking. Reuters News Agency has conducted a study in the United States and has found that a majority of Americans want smoking banned in public spaces. Washington’s government has been saying that separate smoking sections are just not cutting it. Ottawa, Canada’s capital has proposed to ban smoking in public beaches and parks, all municipal properties and all outdoor patios and terraces. Vancouver also in Canada, already has a law in place to punish those who try to light up on a beach or public park (Globe and Mail). There are also over hundreds of forums online that are discussing this topic and go in to great detail with their proposals.
The general idea of all the proposals are heading in the right direction. Washington said it perfectly, short and straight to the point, separate smoking sections just don’t cut it. Smoking should be banned in all public places, no matter what the situation is. Ottawa’s proposal is very ideal and clear cut and is a great example for others to follow. The proposal includes banning smoking in public beaches, parks, all municipal properties, and all outdoor patios and terraces. Anyone not willing to comply will surely be fined and charged regardless of whether if it was a single cigarette or the entire pack. This is a proposal I believe every government should follow and implement in their own jurisdictions due to the fact that it satisfies the rights of those involuntary and non-consenting individuals.
I believe that along with Ottawa’s proposal there are few other points that need to be implemented. I believe that any building, walkway, and sidewalk which any involuntary or non-consenting individuals enter must be non-smoking, private or not. An example is in a building in which one person or a group of people own but others work in or must enter. All of the non-owners and non-consenters have their rights to health and life, but they are violated simply because they don’t own that property. They of course have the choice to leave. However chances are they may not be aware smoke is being moved around through the ventilation system, clinging to the walls, and the floor. Their rights to life and health should not be forfeited just because they need to enter a building. Further I also propose that those who will be in close contact with others, such as Child Workers and Public Workers be banned from smoking. The smoke will cling to themselves and their clothing and potentially harm others. I also propose that cars that are bought and sold have an extensive report on any smoking that has taken place within them. Similar to a “CarFax” record, cars that have had cigarettes smoked in them must be declared the same way accidents must be declared. The buyer must be aware of the smoking conditions and the possible harms they may be introduced to. Failure to declare such information will result to similar fines and punishments to that as a failure to declare or misinform any previous accidents.
With that being said, we must keep in mind that we cannot fully prevent exposure to these dangerous chemicals. There are also many other things that cause every individual harm in which we cannot fully prevent exposure. However, just because the risk will continue to exist does not mean we cannot reduce it substantially. It’s not solely up to the government although they do play a major role, we must all work as a team to protect our rights and health.
In conclusion due to the fact that second-hand and third-hand smoke is harmful to involuntary and non-consenting parties, cigarette smoking should be banned in all public places as well as any private properties where these non-consenting or involuntary individuals are to be entering.
Although smoking is perceived to be negative and harmful, there are positive and beneficial attributes to it. In the United States, a net income of $35,713,023,879 (Working for America) is generated as tax dollars from the tobacco industry every year. This is extremely beneficial to the government because it helps fund many expenses the government incurs over the year such as education, repair and construction projects, army expenses, and government official salaries. The tobacco industry is not only beneficial to the government but also to many farmers across the world. The tobacco plant allows farmers a crop to grow and to fill their entire land and due to the high demand it results in huge profit gains. The tobacco plant has become its own industry and with that it creates job. There are over 662,402 direct jobs created solely by the tobacco industry in the United States (Working for America). The creation of jobs leads to a multiplier effect were those employees that bring home a pay cheque start stimulating the economy by making more purchases. These employees purchase necessities such as food, shelter, and clothing, they also make more purchases such as cars, furniture, household appliances, and pay taxes. Those purchases made by employees support other industries which will create more jobs for those industries and ultimately lead to more pay cheques being take home every month and then money is spent in other industries and the cycle goes continues over and over. Another positive effect of smoking is the carbon dioxide byproduct. In high doses this byproduct can be lethal and even deadly; however in low doses carbon dioxide can actually be beneficial. Scientists have discovered that in low dosages, carbon dioxide in a person’s bloodstream prevents clotting. Blood clotting in the bloodstream is the lead cause for heart attacks and strokes, minimizing clotting reduces the chances of getting a heart attack or stroke. However the average person does not know the safest low dose amount of carbon dioxide therefore not smoking and sticking to exercise is the best way to play it safe.
Smoking’s biggest negative side effect is the way it affects your health. The bottom line is that cigarette smoking is a slow killer; however it also has taken away young lives. Cigarettes contain over a thousand ingredients, just by looking at the ingredients any one with common sense should be able to deduce that smoking is lethal. Cigarettes contain chemicals such as cadmium which is used in batteries, carbon monoxide that is found in exhaust fumes, methanol which is used as rocket fuel, arsenic which is a lethal poison, DDT which is an insecticide, polonium which is a radioactive element, and those are just a few examples (Cigarettes made illegal). Cigarettes are like a cocktail of the world’s worst substances available to man all rolled up in a nice addictive cigarette. All these chemicals leave toxic deposits in our lungs and other organs that impair their function. This causes smokers to have prolonged illnesses, see physicians more often, and a reduced immune system response. Cancer is the primary risk of cigarette smoking, there are many forms of it. Forms of cancer specifically related to smoking include, lung, kidney, larynx, head, neck, breast, bladder, esophagus, pancreas, stomach, and that’s not even all of them. Oral cancer is a serious condition that include cancers of the oral cavity. Smoking stains teeth, leads to bad breath, tooth loss, loss of sense, and loss of the taste sensation. Pulmonary disease is also caused by cancer which is permanent. Pulmonary disease is incurable; it is characterized by shortness of breath, persistent cough and damage to the lungs. Smoking also affects the cardiovascular system, within one minute the heart rate begins to rise, increasing by as much as 30 percent during the first 10 minutes of smoking (Cigarettes made illegal). Smoking increases the chances of heart disease, stroke, and peripheral vascular disease.
Although cigarettes can be beneficial to the economy, they can also be negative economically. With the average price of a pack of cigarettes ranging from seven to twelve dollars the average smoker spends between $2,500 to $3,300 per year (Quit Smoking Save Money). With the increasing rate of unemployment this means that people are spending $2,500 to $3,300 of money they don’t have. People start to give up the necessities in order to afford their cigarettes, there have been many scenarios where people are financially uncomfortable but still need their cigarettes. An example that is floating around online is the fact that people on food stamps are buying cigarettes. People claim that food stamps are barely enough to make it through the month and any extra money you have should be put towards more food for your family. Using that money to buy cigarettes seems somewhat unethical and unfair to certain people. There are studies that back this up and say that smoking and poverty are linked, and in some of the poorest households, ten percent of the income is spent on cigarettes. Leaving families with less money to spend on the essentials needed.
Unfortunately, in many ways the environment is negatively affected by cigarette smoking. One of the noticeable issues is the litter problem, most of the time people are smoking outdoors or in their cars and as soon as they are done they just toss it on the ground. Environmentalists claim that two billion cigarette butts are littered every day. This dirties our streets and sidewalks and makes them look unattractive, however the bigger problem is that cigarettes are not biodegradable. That means whenever it rains and those cigarette butts are relocated into a river or creek, animals mistake those nicotine filled cigarette butts for food and die do the chemicals that are still in those cigarettes. Cigarettes are also very selfish for resources, every year 600 million trees are destroyed to provide fuel to dry the tobacco (J. Polito). Considering the fact that a modern cigarette manufacturing machine uses more than six kilometers of paper per hour, we can conclude that it takes 1 tree to produce 300 cigarettes (W. McLaren). The tobacco plant requires an abnormal amount of potassium, when farmed the tobacco plant leaves the soil in extremely poor conditions preventing essential food and cash crops from being planted. Another aspect of the tobacco plant is that it is known to be sensitive which makes it prone to many diseases, therefore it requires many applications of pesticides. Up to sixteen applications of pesticides are used within one growing period , these are very strong chemicals that have negative side effects. The chemicals can run off into water courses that can contaminate the water supplies, this leads to diseases being spread uncontrollably to both humans and animals that consume the water. The increased use of pesticide tends to eventually develop a resistance in mosquitoes and flies. This in turn causes the control of diseases such as malaria to be extremely more difficult. With the increased resistance, stronger pesticides will be used which will cause an even harsher effect on our water systems that will lead to more disease being spread. Mosquitoes and flies will also come to be resistant to those pesticides and then stronger ones will be developed, although it may take time sooner or later it will get out of control. The actual smoking process itself also has a negative effect on the environment due to the gases it emits. These gases contribute to pollution and are slowly destroying the ozone layer, which will ultimately lead to global warming, and increased rays of radiation breaching the atmosphere from the sun.
With the negative health, economic, and environmental effects caused by cigarette smoking, I believe it should be heavily restricted. However people may have the counter argument that cigarette smoking is a justifiable and necessary right to an individual. One may argue that smoking is a choice and is to be made by him or herself, while aware of the side effects. One may also argue that since cigarette smoking affects only the health of the smoker, then it is solely up to them whether or not to participate in this action. Making the decision for smokers will be considered an invasion of privacy and the constitution, since you are taking away from their personal rights. However one thing smokers don’t realize is the fact that with every cigarette they smoke they are affecting other people no matter how far away they are. In order for a cigarette to work, you need to be in a space that consists of an atmosphere and oxygen, that is virtually anywhere on this earth. When you start smoking however, the smoker benefits by having a filter so that the chemicals within the cigarette aren’t ingested, instead these chemicals are released into the atmosphere along with the carbon dioxide. These toxins travel through the atmosphere freely and then other people blindly and unwillingly inhale these toxins. This is when the defense arguments of free will and invasion of privacy vanish, there are innocent people being negatively affected by the decisions made by smokers. My family and I had an old family friend who never touched a cigarette in his life, yet his life came to an end. He developed symptoms similar to and worse than smokers, it ultimately lead to cancer and he passed away. This was becase he worked late nights in an environment where everyone around him was smoking and he was breathing in all that second hand smoke which eventually got him sick. This is only one example of the countless cases that have occurred, this is proof and motive that smoking should be publically banned; the biggest argument smokers had has been diminished.
With all these negative side affects you may have developed a question, if smoking is as terrible as it sounds and has been around for so long, why is it yet to be banned? In the United States there are two main reasons. These include the invasion of personal privacy and free will, as well as economic reasons. The United States is a county known for the land of free, and the country prides itself in providing freedom for everyone. The reason why smoking hasn’t been banned is due to the fact that the country fears reaching obstacles where people will file personal rights complaints against the government. As stated earlier, a net income of $35,713,023,879 is generated as tax dollars from the tobacco industry every year. If the government were to publically ban smoking they would potentially lose a large amount of that money. The government also fears that many people will lose their jobs and not be able to recover, this means that the government would not only lose tax dollars, but will also have to spend more money to support the workers.
With that being said cigarette smoking should be heavily restricted in any public setting to protect the rights of smokers who want to destroy their own bodies, but in this scenario when forced to choose they must uphold the right to all others to live a healthy life. Banning cigarette smoking in public spaces isn’t about taking away rights because the smokers will still have the right to smoke in their own space where no one else is affected.
Scientists recently introduced the term third-hand smoke and discussed that there are even more negative health side effects to innocent bystanders. This brings us to two more problems, one as we already know that smoking in front of someone is harmful, however now even smoking away from them is harmful! In order to solidify this proposal two topics need to be discussed. Do involuntary parties come to “significant harm” due to second-hand and third-hand smoke? Does the right to smoke and private property rights overrule the rights to good health?
Involuntary parties include anyone who is unaware or is non-consenting to be in an environment where a cigarette is being smoked, or an area where a cigarette has been previously smoked. In reference to the smoker, their cigarette comes built in with a filter that protects the smoker against the dangerous chemicals that the cigarette expel. However the smoker is the only one that is protected against these dangerous chemicals, neither the environment nor anyone surrounding the smoker has any protection against these chemicals. These chemicals are what cause second and third-hand smoke.
“ Scientific evidence shows that there is no safe level of exposure to secondhand smoke (Cancer.org).”
No matter the intensity of second and third-hand smoke, someone is being harmed. People who are trying to get the most out of their lives, by eating healthy, avoiding toxins, exercising, and staying away from harmful things, and have it all ruined by simply being an area where a cigarette has been smoked. Second-hand smoke can cause cancer in non-smokers, as well as breathing problems and heart disease. Anyone who breathes secondhand smoke get colds and the flu more easily and more often, they often die younger than those who weren’t exposed to it. Second-hand smoke also has a major effect on pregnant women, there are many risks to pregnant women who breathe second-hand smoke. The effects include potential miscarriage, premature births causing smaller and less healthy newborns, and infants who are more likely to develop sudden infant death syndrome (National Cancer Institute). Third hand smoke is the residue from a cigarette long after its been extinguished that sticks to virtually to any surface it’s been around. Third hand smoke absorbs into walls, clothing, furniture, even the interior or cars and remains harmful for days, weeks, even months (National Cancer Institute). It causes cancer and the other harmful effects caused from actually smoking. The worst part is in most situations people won’t even know they are being affected by third-hand smoke, they may rent or buy a car that has had cigarettes smoked in it, or they may rent a home that a month ago someone was smoking two to three packs a day.
Ultimately banning smoking would be beneficial to everyone in the long run, however in the short term it would be undoubtedly harmful due to their addiction. If smokers were not allowed to harm others in a way that was convenient for them, it is not a tragic loss of liberty. However, it is a tragic loss of liberty to have others simply take years of your life away, as well as force medical expenses on you in a country already burdened with them such as the United States. Preventing private property from being exempt from no-smoking laws is going to be worth the inconvenience. Some may argue that it would be a direct violation of the right to do with one’s property as one wishes, however there are limits to property rights. Just because you have the right to do what you wish with your property doesn’t give you the right to shoot anyone walking in or nearby, nor does it give you the right to pollute the shared water or air. Just because you live on property that doesn’t belong to you does not mean forfeiting your rights.
There have been many government and private institutions discussing and implementing the public ban of cigarette smoking. Reuters News Agency has conducted a study in the United States and has found that a majority of Americans want smoking banned in public spaces. Washington’s government has been saying that separate smoking sections are just not cutting it. Ottawa, Canada’s capital has proposed to ban smoking in public beaches and parks, all municipal properties and all outdoor patios and terraces. Vancouver also in Canada, already has a law in place to punish those who try to light up on a beach or public park (Globe and Mail). There are also over hundreds of forums online that are discussing this topic and go in to great detail with their proposals.
The general idea of all the proposals are heading in the right direction. Washington said it perfectly, short and straight to the point, separate smoking sections just don’t cut it. Smoking should be banned in all public places, no matter what the situation is. Ottawa’s proposal is very ideal and clear cut and is a great example for others to follow. The proposal includes banning smoking in public beaches, parks, all municipal properties, and all outdoor patios and terraces. Anyone not willing to comply will surely be fined and charged regardless of whether if it was a single cigarette or the entire pack. This is a proposal I believe every government should follow and implement in their own jurisdictions due to the fact that it satisfies the rights of those involuntary and non-consenting individuals.
I believe that along with Ottawa’s proposal there are few other points that need to be implemented. I believe that any building, walkway, and sidewalk which any involuntary or non-consenting individuals enter must be non-smoking, private or not. An example is in a building in which one person or a group of people own but others work in or must enter. All of the non-owners and non-consenters have their rights to health and life, but they are violated simply because they don’t own that property. They of course have the choice to leave. However chances are they may not be aware smoke is being moved around through the ventilation system, clinging to the walls, and the floor. Their rights to life and health should not be forfeited just because they need to enter a building. Further I also propose that those who will be in close contact with others, such as Child Workers and Public Workers be banned from smoking. The smoke will cling to themselves and their clothing and potentially harm others. I also propose that cars that are bought and sold have an extensive report on any smoking that has taken place within them. Similar to a “CarFax” record, cars that have had cigarettes smoked in them must be declared the same way accidents must be declared. The buyer must be aware of the smoking conditions and the possible harms they may be introduced to. Failure to declare such information will result to similar fines and punishments to that as a failure to declare or misinform any previous accidents.
With that being said, we must keep in mind that we cannot fully prevent exposure to these dangerous chemicals. There are also many other things that cause every individual harm in which we cannot fully prevent exposure. However, just because the risk will continue to exist does not mean we cannot reduce it substantially. It’s not solely up to the government although they do play a major role, we must all work as a team to protect our rights and health.
In conclusion due to the fact that second-hand and third-hand smoke is harmful to involuntary and non-consenting parties, cigarette smoking should be banned in all public places as well as any private properties where these non-consenting or involuntary individuals are to be entering.
Work Cited
Tobacco
Benefits (n.d). In Oohoi.com. Retrieved from http://www.oohoi.com/natural%20remedy/everyday_food/Benefits-of-Tobacco.htm-
Tobacco Working For America (n.d).
In fujipub.com. Retrieved from http://fujipub.com/fot/working.html
Should cigarettes be made illegal?
(n.d). In hubpages.com. Retrieved from http://musebaby.hubpages.com/hub/Should-Cigarettes-be-made-illegal
Quit Smoking, Save money (n.d).
The Inquisitor. Retrieved from http://www.inquisitr.com/157899/quit-smoking-save-money-doc-says-smokers-waste-3k-a-year-on-cigs/
Cigarette Butts (July, 2004). John
R. Polito. Retrieved from http://whyquit.com/whyquit/A_Butts.html
Smoking: Environmental and Social
Impacts (February, 2007). Warren McLaren. Retrieved from http://www.treehugger.com/green-food/smoking-environmental-and-social-impacts.html
Learn About Cancer (n.d).
Retrieved from http://www.cancer.org/Cancer/CancerCauses/TobaccoCancer/secondhand-smoke
Second and Third-Hand Smoke (n.d).
NATIONAL CANCER INSTITUTE. Retrieved from http://psychcentral.com/lib/2009/second-and-third-hand-smoke/
Most in U.S. want ban on smoking
in public (n.d). Retrieved from:
http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/07/15/us-smoking-usa-poll-idUSTRE76E4WK20110715
http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/07/15/us-smoking-usa-poll-idUSTRE76E4WK20110715
City seeks input on extending
smoking ban (n.d). Retrieved from:
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/story/2011/10/19/ottawa-smoking-ban-proposal-public.html
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/story/2011/10/19/ottawa-smoking-ban-proposal-public.html
Should smoking be banned on public beaches? (n.d)Retrieved from:
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/the-hot-button/should-smoking-be-banned-on-public-beaches/article2031647/
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/13569976/ns/health-addictions/t/report-ban-smoking-public-places/#.TuelvWNFuso
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