The Health Risks of Public Smoking
The ban on smoking in public spaces has been an ongoing topic of discussion in different health platforms all over the world. Every year, several people are reported to die from lung cancer and other smoking-related health conditions. Nonetheless, despite the several reported deaths, tobacco products are still promoted in the media and people still smoke in public spaces despite the continuous resistance. According to Waziry et al., tobacco is dangerous to the health of the smoker and the non-smoker and for this reason; smoking should not be encouraged in public spaces (35). Smoking should be banned completely from public spaces because it comes with numerous environmental, health, and economic negative effects. In addition, it should be forbidden because smoking, especially cigarette smoking is one of the leading avoidable cause of premature deaths not only in the US but also in several parts of the world.
The Health Effects of Second-hand Smoking
Smoking should unquestionably be banned in public spaces because second-hand smoking comes with a number of health problems. Smoking in public spaces causes serious health risks to people who do not smoke and they do not deserve this. Smoking in public places can lead to second-hand smokers suffering from lung cancer, severe asthma attacks, bronchitis, ear infections, sudden infant death syndrome, low birth weight babies, and other adverse respiratory diseases just to mention but a few (US Department of Health and Human Services 3). In addition, the direct exposure on second-hand smoking has adverse effects on an individual’s cardiovascular system and this can lead to one suffering from stroke and serious heart conditions. A research done by Islami, Torre, and Jemal reveals that second-hand smoking increases the risk of lung cancer and other lung diseases and smoking-related conditions like cancer have led to high mortality rates all over the world (327). Therefore, it is the government should ban smoking in public spaces to prevent health issues related to direct smoking and second-hand smoking.
Environmental Concerns
In addition to creating health problems, people should be banned from smoking in public places because smoking comes with grave environmental problems. Smokers should put in mind that, every time they light a stick, they are causing pollution to the environment. Therefore, since a majority of them do not reconsider their smoking habits in public places, smoking should be banned in this spaces to save the environment and make it safe (Naeem 6). In addition, cigarette buds take a lot of time to decompose since they are not biodegradable and this is detrimental to the environment because they pollute it. This can lead to land, water supply, and air pollution because the cigarette buds leach chemicals to the environment. However, if smoking in public places is banned, the littering of the buds will not be there thus pollution caused by cigarette smoking will not be an issue thus a cleaner and healthier environment for everyone.
Promoting a Healthy Lifestyle
Smoking should be banned in all public spaces because it will promote a healthy lifestyle. Non-smokers have a right to clean air and smokers should not infringe this right by smoking openly. According to Naeem, “Non-Smokers are frequently exposed to smoke when someone nearby is smoking, which exposed the nonsmokers to health hazards” (5). Most smokers do not know the harm they are exposing themselves and the people around them while smoking. In addition, some of them do not even bother about the consequences of their actions and the only way to make them conscious is if smoking is banned in public spaces. If smoking is banned, it will promote a healthy lifestyle for all people because it will discourage smoking thus saving the state on spending a lot of money tackling smoking-related issues. When the government bans smoking in public spaces, citizens will see it, as state endorsement to a healthier lifestyle and this will remind them how important their health is and the effects of smoking. In the long run, a ban on smoking in public places could help smokers to quit smoking thus developing healthier lifestyles.
Setting a Good Example for Children
Additionally, smoking should seriously be banned in public spaces because it portrays a bad example to children. Children learn things from adults in their growing stage. They tend to imitate what adults or rather people around them do and they might end up smoking just like adults because, in the growing stages, children cannot distinguish what is right or wrong. In addition, most teenagers watching adults smoking in public places perceive it as being cool and they end up taking it as a precedent to smoke as well. Therefore, public smoking should be banned because it promotes smoking habits in teenagers and it is a bad example to the children (Jones et al. 178). The ban on smoking in public will eliminate the bad example set by smoking adults and they young people will have the mindset executed by the government that smoking is a bad habit. Likewise, the ban will prevent non-smokers from smoking, it will help smokers quit, and prevent littering and its negative effects on the environment.
Balancing Personal Freedom and Protecting Health
Opponents argue that smoking in public spaces should not be banned because it is a personal freedom and smokers insist that it is their personal health that is at risk. However, as much as it is a personal freedom, should it be done in public spaces? Moreover, this argument is absurd because the non-smokers also have a personal freedom to breathe clean and fresh air in public spaces to remain healthy and other people’s way of being cool should not hinder them from this. Additionally, this personal freedom is causing more harm than good to the people around smokers because it can lead to lung cancer, respiratory problems, and other smoking-related problems in second-hand smokers. Why should smokers force others to inhale second-hand smoke and endanger their health in the name of personal freedom or recreation? Smoking in public releases toxic fumes in the air, which find their way in the lungs of non-smokers, thus compromising their health (Glantz and Bareham 215). Smoking should be strictly banned in public places because it is a health risk to the smoker and the non-smoker, and the smoker who thinks this is a personal freedom should just do it in his/her home compound or in smoking designated places. Even though it is a personal choice to smoke, smokers should not subject the public to health risks associated with second-hand smoke. People’s rights to breathing clean and fresh air and a healthy lifestyle should be protected by banning smoking in public places.
The Life-threatening Consequences
Smoking should be banned in public spaces because it can lead to the death of both the smoker and the non-smoker. Smoking is one of the leading causes of preventable lung cancer deaths to smokers and non-smokers because people who smoke in public places not only harm their health but also the health of those around them while they are smoking. According to Islami, Torre, and Jemal “Despite major achievements in tobacco control, with current smoking patterns, lung cancer will remain a major cause of death worldwide for several decades” (338). Smokers are at high risk of death than people who have never smoked because of the infections they get from the smoke. In addition, second-hand smoke leads to several health conditions that can lead to the death of a non-smoker. Therefore, if smoking is banned in public spaces, it will prevent the smoking rates thus reduce the deaths caused by smoking and its related illnesses. Smokers will have to wait to get home or the selected smoking spaces to light a cigar despite an urge to smoke thus reducing cigarette consumption. Moreover, it will make smokers conscious because they will now grasp that they can only smoke in specific areas and not in the open spaces where they can harm the people around them thus promoting healthy lifestyles. Banning smoking in public places will safeguard the life of the smoker and the non-smoker as well that of the overall public.
Conclusion
In conclusion, smoking in public spaces has been a topic of controversy for many years now. Many people argue that it should be banned because its adverse health effects on both the smoker and the non-smoker as well as the environment while others argue that it should not be banned because it is a personal freedom and it is their health that is at stake as smokers. However, this is illogical because smoking can have immense health effects on the smoker, the non-smoker, and the environment. In addition, it can also have adverse effects on the economy of a country because states will spend millions of dollars treating smoking-related diseases and handling its effects on the environment because it has become a threat to our ecosystem. The government and all stakeholders should take the obligation to ban smoking in public places because it will prevent smoking-related health conditions, it will promote healthier lifestyles, and it will help in eliminating the issue of pollution and government spending on smoking-related problems. Smoking should be banned in all public places because of its negative effects on our health and the environment.
Works Cited
Glantz, Stanton A., and Bareham David W.. "E-cigarettes: Use, Effects on Smoking, Risks, and Policy Implications." Annual Review of Public Health 39 (2018): 215-235.
Islami Farhad, Torre Lindsey A. and Jemal Ahmedin. "Global Trends of Lung Cancer Mortality and Smoking Prevalence." Translational Lung Cancer Research 4.4 (2015): 327-338.
Jones, Andrew M., et al. "Do Public Smoking Bans have an Impact on Active Smoking? Evidence from the UK." Health Economics 24.2 (2015): 175-192.
Naeem, Zahid. "Second-Hand Smoke–Ignored Implications." International Journal of Health Sciences 9.2 (2015): 5-6.
US Department of Health and Human Services. "The Health Consequences of Smoking—50 Years of Progress: A Report of the Surgeon General." Atlanta, Ga: US Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Office on Smoking and Health 17 (2014):1-51.
Waziry, Reem, et al. "The Effects of Waterpipe Tobacco Smoking on Health Outcomes: An Updated Systematic Review and Meta-analysis." International Journal of Epidemiology46.1 (2016): 32-43.
