Smoking Laws

Smoking is an activity that has been around for many years for people to use and adapt into their lifestyle. It is a tool that many people use to help reduce the stresses of life and put them in a comfortable position that enables them to cope with the hectic lifestyle they are living. However, smoking has been scientifically proven to cause many types of cancer, the most common being lung cancer resulting in numerous deaths across the United States. According to BBC, "Smoking is a greater cause of death and disability than any single disease" (BBC, 2). Evidently, the benefits and drawbacks of smoking have been debated for many years, and only recently have some countries have placed a ban in public places such as Britain and the United

Every year, there are over 400,000 smoking-related deaths in the United States. A large percentage of these are due to lung cancer, whose leading cause is smoking. However, not all deaths are smokers themselves. Anyone in the vicinity can fall victim to second hand smoke. These people, through no action of their own, can have their lives threatened.

Everywhere you look or go, there are no smoking signs and laws that are put in place to prevent one from smoking , whether it’s the restaurants, schools, government buildings or one’s own home. In fact it’s one of the most controversial topics discussed in today’s society and although they have been put in place to protect the health of everyone, many smokers believe that smoking laws are unconstitutional. The United State is made up of three branches of government. They are legislative, Executive, and Judicial branch. Each branch has an important job to do, the legislative make the laws, the executive

Imagine yourself sitting down to dinner at a restaurant. You are sitting down trying to enjoy your dinner when all you can smell is smoke. Not only are you just breathing in the smoke, it is also damaging your body at the same time. Or imagine yourself at your work place, whether it be a restaurant or office, and you are forced to breathe in second-hand smoke the entire time you are there. In this paper you will be informed of the harmful effects of second-hand smoke, and why smoking should be banned from all public places.

Field, P. (1922, October 10). Coffee and Cigarettes: Second-Hand Smoke and Smoke-Free Laws. National Center for Case Study Teaching in Science. Retrieved October 10, 1927, from www.sciencecases.org/secondhand_smoke/secondhand_smoke.pdf

It was in 1964 that the Surgeon General of the United States first published a report on the ill-effects of smoking cigarettes, and within a year the first law requiring health warnings on cigarette packages was in effect. From that point, the government has slowly, but continually, imposed more and more restrictions on the use of tobacco products. Throughout the 1960s, 70's, 80's, and 90's, the both individual jurisdictions within the State of California, as well as the entire state, continued to impose tougher and tougher restrictions on smoking cigarettes until 1994, when California became the first state in the union to pass a law which completely prohibited smoking in most enclosed workplaces. ("Secondhand Smoke Exposure") This law, which took effect in 1998, restricted smoking in all enclosed places of employment including offices, factories, bars and restaurants. But by the early 21st century, the current restrictions were not enough for California's lawmakers and a push was started to ban smoking in all public places. Since the passage of these restrictions in the 1990's, there has been a great deal of change in the state with advocates of the smoking ban pointing to the increased health benefits for the citizens of the state, while opponents focus on the economic damaged in the business community caused by the restrictions. It is therefore necessary to examine the State of California and its ban on smoking and how it has

It is critical to protect students and employees of universities from exposure to the perilous effects of secondhand smoke. Efforts such as easily ignored “no smoking” signs or free Nicotine patches are not as effective as anticipated; one must be motivated to quit smoking in order to actually quit. Therefore, actions must be taken in order to efficiently transition into a tobacco free campus and ultimately salvage the health of both smokers and nonsmokers on campus. By fall 2015, this university will transition to a Tobacco Free Campus, which means that anyone who comes onto school grounds is prohibited from using tobacco products to provide a healthy, safe educational setting and workplace for both students and employees. With that said, the university is adopting a method introduced by the American Cancer Society called "The Great American Smokeout." However, the event will be renamed “Cut the Cancer Stick.”

Cigarette consumption emerged in the United States when the government distributed free cigarettes to soldiers in both world wars, promoting cigarette smoking to entire generations. Advertising and Hollywood movies further associated smoking with glamour and sophistication. Cigarette smoking grew steadily: by 1963, Americans 18 and over were smoking an average of 12 cigarettes a day (Smoking Bans). Today, each year, 53,800 people die from secondhand smoke exposure. Since then, public smoking bans have been set to prevent the hazardous effects. A smoking ban is a public policy that includes criminal laws and health regulations that prohibit smoking in certain public places and workspaces. Since public smoking can cause detrimental health effects to others, it should be banned.

Smoking has resulted in over 20 million deaths since 1964. About 443,000 people die every year from smoking related illnesses and for every dead person, there are 20 people who grapple with one or more tobacco-related illnesses. The United States loses 193 billion USD annually in medical expenses and lost productivity. 17% of high school seniors are smokers, and one fifth of adult Americans continue to smoke. This paper aims to highlight the specific actions that have been taken by public health officials in the past and the path of action projected for the next decade.

Tobacco remains legal and the treasury is said to make around 10 billion each year from taxing it. Coincidentally many states still have smoker-friendly bars. The smoking ban is said to be bad for business as well. Despite more efforts to prove otherwise, pubs and clubs are dying, in part, because of the business lost as smokers find somewhere else to drink they can smoke in peace. Where and how smokers think will always be beyond my understanding. They believe that the smoking ban is technologically backwards. It is not difficult, with decent modern air filtration technology, to make smoke virtually unnoticeable and certainly harmless. The smoking ban does not stop people from smoking. Even if it were appropriate to

Central idea- Smoking is not only killing consumers but non-smokers are being harmed at an alarming rate.

The advocates of the smoking bans point at the societal and individual damage caused by smoking. The justification in their eyes for such ban is that smoking harms individuals’ health and passive inhaling the smoke causes serious health issues. They also emphasize a vital role of a government to protect its citizens’ health and well-being. Apart from that, the supporters mention large public and private spending from tax-payers money related to health issues caused by secondhand smoke. Despite of possible benefits, the regulation remains controversial in the US with only 8 states having such bans. The opponents of smoking bans in private cars with minors refuse the governmental control over behavior in a private property. They are against the violation of property rights and also against control of autonomy. According to the opponents, citizens should be responsible for their own health and should have freedom to make their own heath decision for themselves and their children. They refuse the paternalistic role of the state, however do not fully deny the paternalistic roles

The use of tobacco is a very controversial topic here in the United States. The harmful side effects of tobacco are well known and consequently, many believe that it should be outlawed. Though this has not yet occurred, constant regulations on the industry and

Clean air laws have been passed to diminish the injurious effects of environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) on non‐smokers by limiting or prohibition of smoking in designated public areas (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1986; Environmental Protection Agency, 1992). Clean air laws help in reducing exposure to second‐hand smoke, and they also reduce smoking rates. Limitations on smoking may reduce smoking by decreasing occasions to smoke and by modifying behavior changes towards smoking (Department of Health and Human Services, 2000). Smoking may be regulated at worksites, restaurants and other public places, such as grocery stores, shopping malls and public transit. Clean air laws in the US are usually applied at the state or local level. Many states, and local governments have implemented smoke free laws which protect the public specially children from secondhand smoke exposure at workplaces and indoor public spaces. These smoke free policies also help smokers quit and discourage adolescents from becoming smokers.

It is estimated that 36.5 million adults smoke in the United States of America (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention B). A cigarette contains 7,000 chemicals and 70 of those can cause cancer (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention B). When someone decides to smoke a cigarette, they are not only choosing to allow those toxins into their body but are imposing all those same toxins on anyone around them. Secondhand smoke is the combination of smoke from the burning end of a cigarette and the smoke breathed out by smokers and is considered more dangerous then smoking the cigarette (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention B). Every year 480,000 people in the United States of America die because of cigarette smoking, which is the leading cause of preventable disease and death. Why has this deadly habit become such a casual part of the American life? This habit is not only harmful to the person smoking, but is hurting everyone around them. It may be their decision to smoke and cause damage to their own bodies but when they decide to smoke in public they are infringing on the rights of everyone around them right to protect their health. Smoking should be made illegal because it is not only harmful to the smokers but also causes harm to fetuses in utero, developing children and any other adults who may breathe that smoke in.