Why Smoking in Public Places Should Be Banned free essay sample

(Zechariah Chafees publication). Freedom is one quality that identifies America, and most people think that freedom implies doing whatever they desire or they please. As this quote says, I think that our freedom has boundaries and we must know where our freedom ends. It has been proven that smoking in public places can be very harmful not only to the smokers, but also to the nonsmokers. Here is where we find the issue, when it comes to smoking in public areas, and one’s freedom. What I mean is that if I smoke in a public place I make the people around passive smokers. By doing this I force them to do something that they do not want. We all have the liberty to do what we like as long as our actions don’t affect others. According to the U. S. Department of Health and Human Services â€Å"Secondhand smoke causes numerous health problems in infants and children, including severe asthma attacks, respiratory infections, ear infections, and sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). We will write a custom essay sample on Why Smoking in Public Places Should Be Banned or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Some of the health conditions caused by secondhand smoke in adults include heart disease and lung cancer†. U. S. Department of Health and Human Services. The Health Consequences of Involuntary Exposure to Tobacco Smoke: A Report of the Surgeon General). This should make us aware about the risks that smoking in public places has towards the nonsmokers. Smokers should understand the smoking hazards are not only for them, but for the nonsmokers as well. Being able to smoke should be banned in public areas because secondhand smoke hurts babies and children; it contributes to the development of heart disease, and lung cancer in nonsmokers. History of the Issue In the beginning tobacco was used by American Indians in many different ways, such as in religious and medicinal practices. It was believed that tobacco had healing properties and it was used to treat lesions, and as pain killer. During colonialism that belief made tobacco popular causing its agriculture and usage grow and spread. In the seventeenth century, an era known as â€Å"The Great Age of the Pipe†, tobacco became so popular that it was used like cash. This was also a time when many started to oppose it, and smoking in public areas bans and prohibitions begun, but this had more to do with moral beliefs than health concerns. In the 1600s: the Pope banned smoking in holy places, in 1604: the King James I of England in his â€Å"Counterblaste to Tobacco† described his objection to tobacco: â€Å"Smoking is a custom loathsome to the eye, hateful to the nose, harmful to the brain, dangerous to the lungs, and in the black, stinking fume thereof nearest resembling the horrible Stygian smoke of the pit that is bottomless. † (Goldsmid 1884:32). In that same year he increased 4,000% tax on tobacco. In the 18th century smoking bans and prohibitions became uncommon; the tobacco industry was such an important source of revenue that it financed the American revolutionary war. At end of the 19th century smoking an anti-tobacco campaign by American people, disliking the excessive consumption of alcohol and tobacco began to demand action from the federal and state legislators. Again this had more to do with moral beliefs than health concerns. In the beginning of the 20th century the anti-tobacco campaign continued growing. Some states were proposing a total ban on tobacco, and by 1922, 15 States had laws banning the sale, manufacture, possession and use of cigarettes, but this was unsuccessful and the bans were eventually lifted. In the 1930s smoking rates among female teenagers increased, and during World War II (1939 to 1945), cigarettes were included in soldiers’ C-Rations. This caused that the use of cigarettes increased among the population. During the 1950s, some evidence showed that smoking was linked to lung cancer, and even when the tobacco industry denied it, in 1964 health hazards were revealed. The Surgeon Generals report on Smoking and Health came out. This report was used by the government to regulate the advertisement and sales of cigarettes. In 1982, the Surgeon General reported that secondhand smoke may cause lung cancer, and as result smoking in public areas began to be banned. In recent years, more evidence of the secondhand effects on nonsmokers has been found, but it has not been enough for the government to completely ban smoking in places like workplaces, restaurants, and other public areas, instead the owners are who decide if smoking is or not allowed. Secondhand Smoke Hurts Babies and Children As adults we have the choice to move to a place where we can breathe clean air, but young children don’t have that capacity. Each year hundreds of thousands of children are exposed to second hand smoke which is very harmful for them. According to The U. S. Department of Health and Human Services, â€Å"secondhand smoke causes numerous health problems in infants and children, including severe asthma attacks, respiratory infections, ear infections, and sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). † (U. S. Department of Health and Human Services. The Health Consequences of Involuntary Exposure to Tobacco Smoke: A Report of the Surgeon General). Also Secondhand smoke causes sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). The SIDS is the sudden, unexplained, unexpected death of an infant in the first year of life. â€Å"SIDS is the leading cause of death in otherwise healthy infants. Secondhand smoke increases the risk for SIDS. † (U. S. Department of Health and Human Services. The Health Consequences of Involuntary Exposure to Tobacco Smoke: A Report of the Surgeon General). As parents we need to be responsible for the care and well-being of our children, and we should not have any excuse to protect them from the tobacco smoke. Protecting them from the tobacco smoke means that we will have more healthy children. â€Å"Studies show that older children whose parents smoke get sick more often. Their lungs grow less than children who do not breathe secondhand smoke, and they get more bronchitis and pneumonia. † (U. S. Department of Health and Human Services. The Health Consequences of Involuntary Exposure to Tobacco Smoke: A Report of the Surgeon General: Secondhand Smoke: What It Means To You). This is a fact: if our children breathe secondhand smoke we are going to have unhealthy kids, and who does want unhealthy kids? I think all of us want to have healthy kids, so it is important as parents to make sure our children are in a free tobacco environment. For this reason it is essential to create effective banning policies on smoking on public areas. Secondhand Smoke Contributes To the Development of Heart Disease in Nonsmokers According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), â€Å"heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States and smoking is the leading risk factor for heart disease. † (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention). This is not only for people that smoke, but also for those around them. Tobacco is a poison and when we inhale secondhand smoke our body reacts to its effect causing our heart rate and blood pressure to go up, high blood pressure hurt our blood vessels and increase the risk of having a heart attack. It has been proven that â€Å"secondhand smoke can increase your risk of developing heart disease by 25-30%. †(U. S. Department of Health and Human Services. The Health Consequences of Involuntary Exposure to Tobacco Smoke: A Report of the Surgeon General). As a consequence many nonsmokers who are exposed to secondhand smoke are suffering different illnesses related with the cardiovascular system that can lead to premature death. Knowing this fact, it makes necessary to take some actions in order to preserve the nonsmoker’s health. Secondhand Smoke Leads To Lung Cancer in Nonsmokers Statistics show that â€Å"Nonsmokers who are exposed to secondhand smoke at home or work increase their lung cancer risk by 20–30%† (U. S. Department of Health and Human Services. The Health Consequences of Involuntary Exposure to Tobacco Smoke: A Report of the Surgeon General: Secondhand Smoke: What It Means To You). Each year many people that have never smoked are affected by lung cancer, getting their quality of life destroyed. If the smoking addiction is a freedom, I believe that the freedom to live is a greater one. â€Å"Secondhand smoke is the combination of smoke from the burning end of a cigarette and the smoke breathed out by smokers. Secondhand smoke contains more than 7000 chemicals. Hundreds are toxic and about 70 can cause cancer. † (U. S. Department of Health and Human Services. The Health Consequences of Involuntary Exposure to Tobacco Smoke: A Report of the Surgeon General). Those 70 cancer-causing chemicals not only affect your lungs, but also all of your other organs. In other words, secondhand smoke can cause different types of cancer like mouth, nose, throat, larynx, trachea, esophagus, lungs, stomach, etc. The reason why this occurs is because secondhand smoke damages your deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA). â€Å"The DNA is the cell’s â€Å"instruction manual. † It controls a cell’s normal growth and function. When DNA is damaged, a cell can begin growing out of control and create a cancer tumor. † (U. S. Department of Health and Human Services. The Health Consequences of Involuntary Exposure to Tobacco Smoke: A Report of the Surgeon General: Secondhand Smoke: What It Means To You). The simple act of inhaling some tobacco smoke can trigger changes in our body that can end up with some sort of cancer; this is something serious and disturbing, I could say that if no actions are taken to control the use of tobacco in public places in the future we could have a cancer epidemic. To protect the population in general, more actions in controlling the use of tobacco need to be taken. Conclusion As we learned, it is scientifically proven that secondhand smoke is harmful for smokers as well as nonsmokers. This makes us know that smoking is not a freedom act but a dangerous addiction, in health terms, banning smoking in public places would be beneficial for everyone, and for different reasons it would be appreciated for both smokers and non-smokers. One of the reasons that I say this is because banning smoking in public places will decrease the risk of developing lung cancer and heart disease in the nonsmoker. As consequence, health will increase in the population and we will have a better quality of life. Other reason is that banning smoking will change the way the smoker uses tobacco, making them lower their daily consumption of tobacco and in some cases helping them quit smoking. Reducing tobacco consumption probably will not improve their health but they will be able to save money that later could be used in a healthier way. Some people have declared that smoking bans have helped them quit smoking, this is something good because quitting tobacco will make an impact in their health and in the health of those around them. Smoking bans in public areas are necessary for everyone’s benefit. Work Cited 1. Zechariah Chafees publication Directly quoted: One person’s freedom ends where another person’s freedom begins. 2. U. S. Department of Health and Human Services. The Health Consequences of Involuntary Exposure to Tobacco Smoke: A Report of the Surgeon General 3. 1604: the King James I of England in his â€Å"Counterblaste to Tobacco† Goldsmid 1884:32). 4. Rich White â€Å"Previous Smoking Bans† 5. U. S. Department of Health and Human Services. The Health Consequences of Involuntary Exposure to Tobacco Smoke: A Report of the Surgeon General: Secondhand Smoke: What It Means To You.