Smoking in the United States Essay

The complex question that was asked in the post was, “What are the consequences the city of New York will face by raising the smoking age to twenty-one?” This paper will discuss the multifaceted controversial subject facing the New York City residents; those ages eighteen through twenty-one and many merchants around the city. Multiple opinions show why this bill is a very good decision when looking at the health at these eighteen to twenty-one year olds in addition to the city’s youth. When another argument shows the financial hardships going to be felt because this bill passed legislation. Then, there are those making claims about someone that is adult enough to go to war for our country should be adult enough to smoke.

It can stain your teeth and gums, resulting in yellow teeth and bad breath which can affect your social life. It can cause sexual problems for men by reducing the amount of sperm they can produce. It has also been proven that 'smoking causes aging of skin' (Buzzle 36), because the skin is deprived of blood. Pregnant women should not even try to smoke cigarettes during their 9 months because of the harm it could do to the baby and themselves. The affects of smoking on women and the child during pregnancy are as follows: high possibility of miscarriage, pregnancy complications and possible death of the baby. These are just a small variety of facts on smoking and how dangerous it can be, yet millions of people across the U.S choose to smoke anyways, without realizing the harm it can doing to their bodies. For secondhand smokers, the same principle applies. Don’t smoke and you will live a healthy lifestyle. I have personally seen many of my friends who hang around with their other friends that happen to smoke. When I confront them about the harm it is doing to them, they tend to ignore the advice I offer, so I let them be, hoping that one day they will realize that smoking harms more people than just the smoker themselves. It causes harm to the people around them and to the environment, increasing the pollution in our world. Former U.S vice-president Al Gore, believes that smoking is

Consumption of Tobacco is a worldwide phenomenon. Nearly every country is planning to raise more restrictions around the consumption of Tobacco. The awareness about its ill effects is rising through the corridors of Parliaments of many countries with the help of governmental and non-governmental organizations. There are some internationally recognized organizations like the “World Lung Foundations” that are striving hard to reduce the consumption of tobacco to a bare minimum. There are numerous reasons that support the argument that tobacco should be completely banned from the United Sates.

According to 2006 United States' Surgeon General report, secondhand smoke is a cause for premature death and disease in children and non-smokers. In addition, children exposed to secondhand smoke are at an increased risk for sudden infant death syndrome, ear problems, acute respiratory infections, and severe asthma. Smoking by parents causes respiratory symptoms and slows lung growth in their children and to adults the secondhand smoke has immediate adverse effects on the cardiovascular system and causes coronary heart disease and lung cancer. Finally, the Surgeon General report states, “the scientific evidence indicates that there is no risk-free level of exposure to secondhand smoke (US Department of Health and Human Services, 2006).“Third hand smoke is the name given to the toxic particles from cigarette smoke that settle onto surfaces in your home and remain long after smoking has ceased” (Heidtman, 2010), which means that even if a person smokes in the house when there is no one present the particles that state on the surfaces will still harm the health of the family that resides in the house. According to the Smoking-Related Fires in Residential Buildings (2008-2010) by the US Fire Administration,

Smoking is the number one preventable risk and cause of disease and death. Tobacco kills more people than car crashes, acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), and alcohol, drugs, suicides and murders combined, and effects smokers and nonsmokers alike. A nonsmoker on average lives 13 to 14 years longer than a smoker does. Although we have made strides in reducing the prevalence of smoking in the country, it is still an important problem that continues to cause morbidity and mortality. Secondhand smoke exposure also affects nonsmokers and causes lung cancer. When children are exposed to environmental tobacco smoke, mostly in the predominant location of the home, smoking increases their incidence of asthma, sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), ear infections, and respiratory tract infections such as pneumonia and bronchitis.

In the United States today, more than forty six million Americans are addicted to cigarettes. More people have died due to cigarette smoking than from narcotic drugs, World Wars I and II, and the Vietnam War combined (Bailey 1). The annual death toll for cigarette smoking is more than four-hundred thousand Americans a year, and is the number-one preventable cause of death in the United States. If Americans are aware of the lethal effects of smoking, why is it still so popular? Guy Smith, a Phillip Morris Tobacco Company executive, claims that their research shows that advertising is the top reason people start smoking (Bailey 34). Most people will argue that this is not true because the do not like to be “sold” and

Young people may start to be curious about smoking at some point in time in their life. They might like the idea of doing something dangerous or something that makes them look like an adult. Young people do not know that smoking and tobacco use can cause cancer and heart disease. They do not look into the future to worry about the consequences. Tobacco use is the leading preventable cause of death in the United States (Persoskie, Donaldson, & King, 2016). In this cohort study, there was a research if there was an interest about or ever-utilization of tobacco items among the US middle and high school students changed from 2012 to 2014. The research data came from the 2012 and 2014 National Youth Tobacco Surveys of US students in grades 6 through 12 (Persoskie, Donaldson, & King, 2016). 2014 data of students who used cigarettes, cigars, smokeless tobacco, and e-cigarettes were classified as ever-users or never-users of each product. The never-users were questioned about their curiosity about each product if they had been definitely, probably, probably not, or definitely not been curious about using the products.

Other than affecting the health of the smoker, the second-hand smoke from smokers' cigarettes can also affect the health of others around them. When someone is smoking a cigarette in public or anywhere else there may be other people, they aren't only risking their own life, but the other people's lives around them as well. They need to recognize this and be more respectful to the others around them. Non-smokers who breathe in this second-hand smoke may experience allergies or a variety of different irritations. This is especially dangerous to pregnant women who are open to the second-hand smoke, for it can enlarge the risk of having an irregular birth. However, with a little bit of our help, in time these smokers can learn and will not allow

Approximately 7,500 infants die due to sudden infant death syndrome due to exposure of secondhand smoke in America (“American Lung Association”). Children all over the United States are unwillingly exposed to parental secondhand smoke in public, in cars, and at home. When children are exposed to secondhand smoke, many develop life threatening diseases later in life as a result of that exposure. In the United States, smoking should be banned while in the presence of children. Children’s lungs are vulnerable to the effects of secondhand smoke, and this can cause serious problems down the road. Some states have already banned smoking in public and others are in the process. Secondhand smoke exposure has the possibility of causing nicotine

Spending money on smoking is too much and leads to nothing, and there are no benefits that people can get from smoking. Smoking can hit personal finances and smokers are burning their money for no reason. Instead of using money to get cigarettes, people can donate to non-government organizations to wipe out poverty and change people’s lives. Smoking is a major factor that is destroying the environment. Smoking cigarettes is bad for the air. People who do not smoke have to breathe the bad air around the smokers. Smoking needs to be banned in public to let other people breathe the fresh air. Most Americans are exposed to outdoor and indoor air that can cause cancer and other serious health problems. Smoking is a serious problem that needs to be taken care of. If we want a strong environment, clean environment, and a good public health, we need to ban smoking once and for all.

The United States of America is a country who wants the best for its people. For centuries we have been a melting pot of immigrants and people have come here to pursue a better life. America cares for its citizens and looks out for their best interests. One of the many ways this is done is by the banning of harmful substances. When something is deemed overly harmful we ban it to stop our citizens from using it and therefore protect them. This is done when drugs such as LSD are banned or firearms without a proper permit are not permitted. One substance this is not done with is tobacco. Tobacco is harmful and causes death. Cigarette smoking is responsible for over 400,000 deaths a year in the United States. There are no benefits to smoking tobacco,

The effects of cigarette smoking can be horrifying. Smoking is dangerous not only to those who smoke, but to non-smokers and unborn children as well. Cigarette smoking is also physically and socially harming.

A constant flow of smoke inhaling into my lungs every breath I took. Holding the smoke in my mouth for a mid-second, before exhaling and letting the smoke disperse around my surroundings. The feeling of letting warm smoke into my body made me feel relaxed and at peace. Living a life without smoking cigarettes seemed like death, ironic for what cigarettes do to a human. Who couldn’t love the sensation after smoking just one cigarette? That question always confused me. That was until I saw the light in my life. I found a reason to stop, a reason to be human again and not some obsessed, crazy girl who was seen living in the shadows of her life rather than in the important stages of youth and mortality.

"Environmental tobacco smoke-the secondhand cigarette smoke breathed by nonsmokers is a known carcinogen and the most dangerous environmental pollutant."(Waxman 1995) Surprisingly secondhand smoke causes as many deaths as the tobacco smokers do. "Most people die from secondhand smoke each year than from car accidents."(Waxman 1995) There are a lot of reasons that causes the deaths from secondhand smoke. "Lung cancer is the best known risk from secondhand smoke."(Wilson 1997)

Statistics show that 400,000 people a year die due to smoking related problems. Experts have proven that smoking damages the lungs and kidneys, but people continue to smoke to relieve stress. This paper will expose the various ways that smoking can harm the people and environment.