The Question of Outlawing Cigarettes and Tobacco Products
The question of whether cigarettes and other tobacco products should be outlawed is still an argument as many agree as well as disagree from the same. Tobacco is a plant which is grown and contains nicotine which affects one to be dependent on the drug which leads to addiction (Strickland et al. 627) Tobacco products are either smoked or even used orally. Smoked tobacco comes in the form of cigarettes amongst other ways such as pipes according to the kind of preference that the final consumer intents to use. The large percentage of people exposed to consumption of smoked tobacco has in the recent years been restricted from smoking in public. The adverse effects of the smoked tobacco seem to have led to slow ban through legislation such as that of not allowing public smoking. Smokeless tobacco, on the other hand, is used orally through sniffing or even applying it in the mouth where it gets directly into the bloodstream. From my perspective, tobacco and cigarettes use should be outlawed as whether smoked or not, its effects are similar.
The Rise of the Ban on Tobacco Products Use
The rise of the ban on tobacco products use came in due to the high risk of passive smoking. Passive smoking effects became the same as a smoking first hand. Preventing those affected by tobacco smoking, various restrictions arose as a result of people smoking in whatever vicinity they wished causing discomfort to non-users. The urge to ban tobacco originated from opening up of smoking zones where smokers would avail themselves and smoke. Due to the increased deaths worldwide from tobacco use, loved ones of those affected as well as those diseased together with the World Health Organization came up with health concerns to cut down on deaths.
The Government's Stake in the Tobacco Industry
Government highly reaps a considerable amount of income from the tobacco industry. Since the law is on the government side, it is very strenuous for any organization or anybody to push for a move towards the tobacco products ban from usage. Taxation of tobacco products helps any government's economy grow hence increasing opportunities for the rest of the people (Jha, and Peto 62). Besides, the government has a good number of its citizens who depend on the tobacco sector for employment and shutting down the industry would pose a significant blow to the people hence banning of tobacco isn't easy. Furthermore, the tobacco users and addicts are not ready to leave or quit the use of the products as there is no any alternative drug similar to tobacco. There are also many cartels involved in the tobacco business of which when the industry is shut down, the supply of the products would still go on despite set laws.
The Benefits and Drawbacks of Tobacco
Tobacco is an excellent product when used to produce pesticides for use in the farms. It increases production in the farms by reducing pests feeding on what's planted on the farm. High produce leads to high profits hence a right livelihood which is suitable for both businesses. Provision of employment for the jobless by the tobacco industry is also a high strength as people can work and do well for their families and avoid poverty. Cigarettes also help relieve stress and pain for the time which they are used.
However, tobacco has a considerable number of unfortunate and harmful side effects. Scholarly research shows that Smoking tobacco causes lung cancer, heart disease amongst other unhealthy outcomes which lead to death (Russell et al. 446). The world health organization statistics have shown that over 6million people die annually out of smoking tobacco (US Department of Health and Human Services 16). High use of cigarettes and other tobacco products increases the high consumption of health products which is very expensive to keep up. The high cost of drugs to escape diseases caused by tobacco is a difficult situation for the government to deal with hence banning should be considered.
The Overall Stand on Banning Cigarettes and Tobacco
My overall stand is the fact that the problems caused by tobacco are way too much and they exceed the benefits hence cigarettes and tobacco should be banned. Restriction to avoid passive smoking is not the solution, and people will continue to die if no proper platform is not laid down to curb tobacco problem. In the event of one being faced with loneliness or stress, they can always opt out for better options rather than engaging in smoking tobacco or using tobacco in whatever form that they desire.
The Way Forward
From both the aspect of whether to or not ban cigarettes and tobacco products, we can all agree on a common ground of thought (Prochaska et al. 1557). To reduce deaths of people caused by consumption of tobacco products, those using such products should ensure that they exercise randomly to avoid the substances from staying in the bloodstream for long which later brings significant health concerns like heart disease.
Long-term consumption of tobacco should also be avoided by reducing nicotine effects as well as producing cigarettes with no tar to increase the lifespan of those affected. Factors which lead to people using tobacco products should be dealt with through more fun and cheaper methods to reduce the total number of people using the products for a healthier tomorrow.
Works Cited
Jha, Prabhat, and Richard Peto. "Global effects of smoking, of quitting, and of taxing tobacco." New England Journal of Medicine
370.1 (2014): 60-68.
Prochaska, Judith J., et al. "Efficacy of initiating tobacco dependence treatment in inpatient psychiatry: a randomized controlled trial." American journal of public health 104.8 (2014): 1557-15
Russell, Ginny, et al. "The association of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder with a socioeconomic disadvantage: alternative explanations and evidence." Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry
55.5 (2014): 436-445.
Strickland, James A., et al. "Tobacco compositions." U.S. Patent No. 8,627,828. 14 Jan. 2014.
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).
