Should Cigarettes Be Banned? Essay

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Table of Contents

Introduction
Arguments against the Issue
Arguments for the Issue
Discussion
Conclusion
References

Introduction

For the recognition of whether or why cigarettes should be banned, this essay should start with a bit of history.

Cigarettes are made from tobacco leaves. Their use started in Central America around 6,000 B.C. After 5,000 BC, the Mayan community started chewing and smoking tobacco leaves and used them for medicinal purposes like healing wounds. Later on, people invented pipe smoking, which was followed by the manufacturing of cigarettes in the mid-1800s (Smoking, 2010).

On this page, the author won’t explore why smoking should be banned. The essay will evaluate arguments for and against cigarettes in particular. Many people smoke them to lighten up and enhance their concentration at places of work. Meanwhile, some claim that this relaxation method is too harmful to enjoy.

So, should cigarettes be banned? This essay attempts to find out.

Why Cigarettes Should Be Banned: Arguments against

Smoking cigarettes helps people to relax and get better concentration. Mental illness symptoms such as anxiety and Schizophrenia are alleviated by smoking (Russo, 2011); this has been medically proven. Smoking cigarettes helps in socialization as it sets the mood of a smoker into being jovial.

Governments obtain huge amount of money from cigarette manufacturing industries in form of taxes. These industries also create employment opportunities for many people. Banning of cigarette smoking would mean loss of thousands of jobs as well as revenue for the government (Fix, n.d.).

Smoking cigarettes helps in weight management due to the reduced appetite induced in the body by cigarettes. Therefore, smoking is a good and effective weight loss aid (Auctions, 2010).

Why Cigarettes Should Be Banned: Arguments for

Smoking cigarettes is one of the major causes of deaths. About 443, 000 people die out of cigarette smoking related illnesses in the U.S. every year (CDC, 2011 ). Cigarettes contain many harmful chemicals; it was found that cigarettes have more than 4,000 chemicals. Most of these components are known to cause cancer.

Smoking is known to cause lung cancer, bladder cancer, stomach Cancer, kidney cancer, cancer of oral cavity and cancer of the cervix. Ammonia, Tar and Carbon Monoxide are found in cigarettes and are very harmful to human body (Society, 2010).

Cigarette smoking has great effects on reproductive health. It is known to cause infertility, still births, low birth weight and sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). In addition, it affects the bones by reducing their densities. Hip fractures in female cigarette smokers are higher than in female non smokers (CDC, 2011 ).

Discussion

Banning of cigarette smoking would come with many benefits. First people’s health would be improved. Health benefits of stopping to smoke are more than the emotional or psychological comfort that are brought by smoking. Banning cigarette smoking would be of great benefit to the young people.

Those in their thirties, in terms of age in years, would still benefit from the reduced risks caused by cigarettes. Old people who would wish stop smoking cigarettes would not be late to do so. Banning of cigarette smoking will be beneficial to all smokers regardless of their age (Society, 2010).

Many cigarette smokers are at higher risk of being infected with different types of cancer. These include: “Lung, Larynx, Oral cavity, Esophagus, Kidney, Cervix, Bladder, stomach among other cancers” (Society, 2010, p. 1).

Smoking induces stress. A research in London showed that a group of people who stopped smoking had reduced stress than those who had continued to smoke after one year; this was because those who continued to smoke greatly depended on cigarettes.

A smoker is more prone to be stressed if he/she is not in a position to quench a thirst for smoking therefore failure to smoke will subjected smokers to stress (Benson, 2010). Banning of cigarette smoking would therefore reduce stress levels in people. Peer groups will be made of non smokers. People will look for other ways to cope with stress and anxiety other than smoking.

Economic burden on countries will be reduced by banning of cigarette smoking: “in the year 2000, 8.6 million people in U.S suffered from at least one chronic disease that was associated with cigarette smoking” (CDC, 2011, p. 1). Majority of these people ailed from more than one of the diseases caused by cigarette smoking (Society, 2010).

Though smoking cigarettes creates employment and contributes to government’s revenues, it causes more harm than good. The quality of life led by cigarette smokers is lowered. Furthermore, their quality of work is decreased because they might not attend to their duties regularly in extreme cases of being affected by ailments caused by cigarettes (Society, 2010).

Banning of cigarette smoking would eliminate exposure of the human body to harmful substances. Tar is carcinogenic. Nicotine is the addictive substance in cigarette that causes mental and emotional dependence on cigarettes (Society, 2010). Nicotine also elevates cholesterol levels in the body.

Carbon Monoxide takes oxygen from the body of the user and this may cause Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disorder (Netdoctor, 2005). Banning of cigarette smoking will reduce the above risks which are the main causes of poor health in cigarette smokers.

Reproductive health of people will to some extent be guaranteed by banning of cigarette smoking. Tobacco related infertility in women and impotence in men would be no more. Risks of miscarriage, premature births and still births would be reduced thus saving lives of babies (Society, 2010).

Conclusion

Cigarette smoking is a major health challenge. It causes many health problems including reproductive disorders, cancer, stress, heart diseases and stroke. Banning of cigarette smoking would largely benefit people’s health.