Should Cigarette Smoking Be Banned?

Smoking is the inhalation and exhalation of the smoke of burning tobacco. Historically, it was thought that smoking was harmless, but more modern, clinical and laboratory research proves that it is, in fact, extremely dangerous. Tobacco cigarettes should be illegal in the United States due to their plethora of negative effects on the population and the environment. If cigarettes were banned, the country would be a much better place. Pollution, diseases and fatalities would dramatically decrease, while productivity, financial stability and overall health would increase.

Tobacco has been around in the world for over 2.5 million years. It was not until a few hundred years ago when the tobacco industry decided to put these crops into use and conjure up tobacco products for the community. A popular tobacco product in society is cigarettes, as they are cheap and simple to use. As long as one is over eighteen, acquiring cigarettes is a straightforward process for a reasonable price, albeit the sin tax. It was not until recently when cigarettes became widely controversial due to the plant containing nicotine, an addictive drug to the body. Aside from containing nicotine and other hazardous chemicals to the body, cigarettes also cause a whole host of health implications

This figure is up 1billion pounds when compared to the same figure last year, which was 1.7billion. And the only reason it is not higher is because so many smokers have given up in recent years – a fall from 12 million to 9 million. Also the government has made significant cuts to the healthcare budget (Around £800million between 2010 and 2012) (BBC News Channel, 2009). Therefore, the NHS should not pay for smoking related diseases. However, firstly, Smokers contributed to the UK economy by 10billion According to statistics from the Tobacco Manufacturers’ Association (TMA) in the 2006/07 financial year in revenue tax (Tma, 2017). According to lobby group forest argues that smokers pay over £9billion a year in tobacco tax. It has also been claimed that the government has made tobacco manufacturers not allowed to have any kind of trademarks on any of their smoking product its illegal. It has been stated tax revenue from tobacco in 2012/2013 amounted to £12.3billion - £9.7billion in excise duty plus 2.6billion in VAT. In addition, on a usual box of 20 cigarettes the total tax burden of £6.98 accounts for 82% of the recommended retail price (RRP) of £8.50. On some of the least expensive brands the total tax burden accounts for up to 90% of the RRP (Tma, 2017). Therefore, the NHS should pay for smoking related diseases as smokers have already contributed by paying taxes on tobacco and taxes that go to the NHS

Artists during the Renaissance period were very creative with their masterpiece. Any creation that shows beauty and mystery is a form of art. From painting portraits of beautiful scenery on canvas, to sculpting a marble statue of gods, and enhancing beautiful architect. During the Early Renaissance period through the High Renaissance period, artists painted biblical figures to mythical stories, such as Hans Baldung Grien art of the Witches’ Sabbath, which was created out of a panel of wood. His work of art displays a mythical story that people believe were true, “Witchcraft”. Hans Baldung Grien representation of the witches in his woodcutting technique as evil females casting spells.

This year alone cigarettes will end up killing over 500,000 Americans, and many more will suffer from different types of cancer, circulatory, and respiratory system diseases, due to smoking cigarettes. Cigarettes have been known to cause these illnesses for a long time. The FDA has proven that nicotine, one of the main chemicals in cigarettes, is addictive. This explains why smokers continue to use cigarettes even though they are aware of the health dangers that come from smoking cigarettes. Researchers have also found out that when people smoke by pregnant women it causes the deaths of over 4,000 babies and 110,000 miscarriages. The only way to prevent death by cigarettes would be to ban them.

History has proven that government penalties, in the form of taxes, deter smoking. The 2000 U.S. Surgeon General’s Report, Reducing Tobacco Use, found that raising tobacco-product prices decreases the prevalence of tobacco use, and tobacco tax increases produce significant long-term improvements in health. From its review of existing research, the report concluded that raising tobacco taxes is one of the most effective tobacco prevention and control strategies (7). Along with price increases, mass-media campaigns and smoking bans have made cigarette smoking pretty much unacceptable in today’s society. “Today, approximately 22 percent of adults age twenty-two and older are smokers, compared with 33 percent in 1979” (Thorpe 1440). It is clear, from these examples, the use of penalties to deter the unhealthy behavior of smoking is a successful intervention.

Smoking should be prohibited in the United states because its one of the largest causes of

An example that I can think of is when a registered nurse who I was working under as a licensed vocational nurse at a nursing home asked me to inject her patient with a “pre-filled” insulin syringe. The registered nurse handed me the "pre-filled" syringe as she had a to go assist one of her patient who was on a constant call light. I was very uncomfortable administering something that I did not pull up in a syringe and to me, this was not a safe practice. I approached the registered nurse in a friendly manner and I told her that I will go answer her call light while she administers her insulin. The nurse understood that I was hesitant and administered her own insulin. As a nurse, one should never administer something that is handed by another nurse unless we witnessed them pulling the specific medication out, as that can easily lead to a medication error and it can also jeopardize one’s nursing license.

Cigarettes are the number one cause of death in the U.S. and yet they are still on the shelves. People know the damage tobacco does to the body, and yet they still continue to smoke, chew, and sniff it. Cigarettes and tobacco products needs to be criminalized. Smoking is the number one cause of cancer in the United States. About 50 million people smoke cigarettes in the United States.

In the article “Why ban the sale of cigarettes? The case for abolition” by Robert Procter states that “Another objection commonly raised to any call for a ban is that this will encourage smuggling, or even organized crime.” I can agree with this statement although this author is for banning this statement brings out a huge issue that could potentially arise from banning tobacco. If there is a will there will be a way. Another outrageous idea I read in the article called “Regulatory Approaches to Ending Cigarette-Caused Death and Diseases in the United States” by Richard Daynard was the fact that the government would give tobacco companies a limit to how many cigarettes that can produce each year. By doing this it stated by the end of 2015 “it would become unlawful for a cigarette manufacturer to produce more than two-thirds of the brands baseline.”. So not only would the indoor-outdoor smoking bans be in effect the government would now be regulating the amount of cigarettes produced in the United States. Therefore I feel as strongly as others about banning smoking rights. I am a non-smoker myself and as long as you aren’t purposefully blowing smoke in my face, feel free to do as you please. While you can, that is.

The American lung association estimated if the cost of one pack cost $5.5 then the cost of production for that pack would be $18. Cleary the tobacco industry does not do any good to the economy, it only taking over 3 times the amount from the economy. Although some states have been trying to cover health expenses by rising taxes to pay for healthcare however it will never be high enough to cover them. In addition to this, the use of tobacco decrease workers’ productivity. For instance, a smoker would be absent from work and still getting paid and their absences usually last longer because their health conditions would be more complicated. It is clearly proven that the expenses does not match the revenues therefore it would be more profitable

Courage is defined as “the ability to do something that frightens one”. My entire life I have lived in fear; fear of failure, fear of disappointing those closest to me, and fear of what other people think. I used to wake up and pretend to be someone i’m not to gain approval from those around me and to fit in. In recent years i’ve come to realize it’s okay not to be like everyone else.

Tobacco companies make a lot of profit on cigarettes, and they want shoppers to keep buying their product. They only concern about how much money they are going to make; they do not care about how it will affect other people’s health. An average pack of cigarette is about five dollars, but imagine smoking about two packs day that would be three thousand three hundred and sixty dollars a year. According to Werner, "supporters of FDA bill cited figures from the Center of Disease Control and Prevention that smokers coat the country $96 billion a year in direct health care costs, and an additional $97 billion a year in lost productivity". Smokers are not only spending their own money on cigarettes, but they are also spending tax payer’s money on

As discussed on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website, “tobacco use costs the United States billions of dollars each year. The total economic cost of smoking is more than $300 billion a year, which include nearly $170 billion spent on tobacco-related

Smoking is an expensive habit. People who smoke cigarettes can spend as much as $2,500 a year on them. Smokers’ claim that it helps relax them and it releases stress but the negative aspects of smoking outweigh the positive. Smoking is a health hazard for smokers and non-smokers. Smokers should have the right to choose what to do with their own health but they should respect non-smokers. Many people believe that there are good and bad outcomes from smoking. I believe that smoking is bad and that it should be banned.