The cigarette is one of the deadliest drugs known to human beings. In the developed countries, there are attempts to minimize the smoking rates. There are different measures which have been suggested to help reduce the risks posed by consumption of the drug which includes increased taxes, bans on cigarette adverts and the widening of non-smoking zones. In fact, between the years 1890-1927, fifteen states in the US had made cigarettes sale illegal (Proctor, 2013). Abolishment of the manufacturing would minimize human suffering, health costs, increase productivity, bring down the carbon footprint and even eradicate the incidence of fires. The main reason why smoking of the drug should be abolished is that the drug users themselves hate the fact that they smoke. The positional paper argues the case for abolition of cigarette production and sale.
Health effects
Cigarettes trigger the deaths of about six million people annually in the globe. In the 20th century alone, smoking caused the death of more than one hundred human beings. Therefore, the drug is hazardous and should be abolished to save lives. Research shows that the drug kills 50% of its long-term users which is a worrying trend (Proctor, 2013). Another consideration is that government institutions in the US can be able to control the levels of nicotine to ensure that the drug is not addictive. Phillip Morris in the 1980s had reduced the nicotine content from the current 2% down to 0.1% (Proctor, 2013). Manufacturers want people to be addicted to reap more profits. The newly introduced e-cigarette is also very deadly to human health (Cummings et al., 2014).
The toxic smoke
Another serious concern with the cigarettes is that the manufacturing is in a manner which gives them an inhalable smoke. In fact, before the 19th century, the tobacco smoke could not be inhaled as it had very high levels of alkaline. Therefore, inhalation of tobacco became practical after a mechanism known as "flue curing" was implemented. The tobacco leaf got heated during fermentation which meant that it reduced the pH and as such the smoke became less harsh (Petkantchin, 2012). However, the concern is that the mild cigarettes are far more deadly because they penetrate deep into the lungs. A serious problem that has resulted from the modification is lung cancer due to the low pH tobacco which is an ingredient in the cigarettes (Mishra et al., 2015). In addition to reducing the nicotine content, the government ought to implement laws banning the sale of cigarettes with a smoke pH that is below eight.
Destruction of the environment
The third reason for validating the ban on Cigarettes is that they pose a danger to the environment. In the manufacturing process, there are resources used in the process of growing, rolling, packaging and even in the transportation of the drug (Petkantchin, 2012). The manufacturing causes deforestation, and this has led to the loss of Savannah woodlands in the US as charcoal is necessary for the flue curing procedure. There are harmful greenhouse gas emissions during curing and the transportation (Cummings et al., 2014). The careless disposal of burning cigarettes has also caused numerous fires. The other moral problem is that cigarette producers have funded institutions to claim that cigarettes do not contribute to global warming. These factors prove that cigarettes are not sustainable (Petkantchin, 2012).
Undesirable
Another critical point to consider is that smokers themselves have on many occasions agreed that they dislike the habit. In fact, many people would like to quit but they are already addicted, and there is not much that they can do (production and sale of cigarettes be made illegal, n.d.). Therefore, smoking is not similar to other forms of drugs such as alcohol. Statistics show that about 13 percent of people who take alcohol ever gets addicted whereas about 87 percent of people who smoke end up being addicts. Even the manufacturers are aware that drugs are harmful to human health, this explains the warning provided in the packaging.
Geoffrey Bible who was the CEO of a company known as Phillip Morris in the year 1977 was questioned on the dangers of the drug and what cause of action he would take if he knew that cigarettes cause cancer. The reply given by Bible was "I'd probably... shut it down to get a better hold of things (Proctor, 2013)." When asked about the link between cigarettes and smoking, Bible seemed to be concerned he replied that he would end his duties as the company's CEO if there were evidence that even one individual had died due to smoking. Another good example is the questioning of Lorillard's president by a judge known as Curtis H which took place in the year 1984. The president stated that "If cigarettes caused cancer, I wouldn't be involved with them...I wouldn't sell a product that caused cancer (Proctor, 2013)."
Conclusion
One of the simple reasons for abolishing cigarettes manufacturing and sales is to ensure that the manufacturers keep their promises to the society. The drug is harmful to human health and the environment. It is astonishing that governments all over the world have not banned the product, probably due to the taxes and economic contribution of the drug to countries. However, this is morally unacceptable where human health and lives are risked because of money. AS things stand, the drug is too harmful, destructive and undesired and as such it should not be made or sold.
References
Cummings, K. M., Dresler, C. M., Field, J. K., Fox, J., Gritz, E. R., Hanna, N. H., ... " Yamaguchi, N. H. (2014). E-cigarettes and cancer patients. Journal of Thoracic Oncology, 9(4), 438-441.
Mishra, A., Chaturvedi, P., Datta, S., Sinukumar, S., Joshi, P., " Garg, A. (2015). Harmful effects of nicotine. Indian journal of medical and paediatric oncology: official journal of Indian Society of Medical " Paediatric Oncology, 36(1), 24.
Petkantchin, V. (2012). What if tobacco were simply prohibited. IEM’S Economical Note.
Proctor, R. N. (2013). Why ban the sale of cigarettes? The case for abolition. Tobacco Control, 22(suppl 1), i27-i30.
Should the production and sale of cigarettes be made illegal? (n.d.). Retrieved March 20, 2018, from http://www.debate.org/opinions/should-the-production-and-sale-of-cigarettes-be-made-illegal
