Tobacco Industry : Make Tobacco Products Illegal

In 1988, the Ministry of Health in the United States defined the nicotine as an addictive substance. Cigarettes and other derivatives substances generate tobacco dependence. The addictive mechanisms are similar to the addiction mechanisms to drugs such as cocaine and heroin. Cigarettes are highly efficient at delivering nicotine and other addictive substances. The average smoker takes in 1 to 2 mg of nicotine per cigarette each time they inhale. Nicotine reaches the brain within 10 seconds which contributes to its great power of addiction.

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.

It is very easy to become addicted to tobacco because it contains nicotine, which is extremely addictive. Nicotine is also very harmful to the body. Cigarettes have multiple components that are unnatural and not good for the body, like methanol, stearic acid, and methane. Tobacco also has many short-term and long-term side effects. Some of the short-term side effects are increased respiration and heart rate, bad breath, yellowing teeth, and changes in brain chemistry. Some of the long-term effects are lung cancer, coronary heart disease, and a weakened immune system. An easy way to avoid unnatural chemicals, risk of disease, and risk of addiction, is to never start consuming tobacco at

Many drugs are used, misused, and abused in American society today. Some of these carry stigma in the general population, forcing users into an underground drug subculture. Others are accepted and almost promoted under certain circumstances. Tobacco is one of those drugs. Tobacco will be discussed in the context of cigarette smoking. This is not to undermine the existence or danger of other forms of tobacco, but instead to have an exhaustive discussion of cigarette smoking and its societal impact. Cigarettes are a means of inhaling tobacco, where it enters the lungs and is absorbed through the blood vessels, traveling to the heart, from which it is finally pumped to the brain (Hogan, Gabrielsen, Luna, and Grothaus 2003:76). Cigarettes are detrimental to society because they not only affect the user who chooses to smoke; they impact people around them through second-hand and residual smoke. The damage done by cigarettes is not impossible to address. Successful prevention measures are already in place, but this paper intends to suggest other more direct measures, especially related to statutory regulations.

Many people start this habit because of peer pressure, family issues, anxiety and depression. Everyone knows that smoking causes cancer and it can shorten your life by 15 years or more. Smoking is a hard habit to break because tobacco contains nicotine which is a highly addictive stimulant. Teenagers smoke because they want to be cool. Many people who start smoking have a family member or close friend who smokes. Smoking leads to lung cancer, heart disease, strokes and wide variety of other diseases. Smokers experience more coughs and colds compared to non- smokers. Besides affecting oneself, it also has a negative impact on others around smokers which is known as second hand smoking. Also pregnant women who are exposed to cigarette smoke will have an increased risk of having a miscarriage or stillborn baby. There are over 4000 toxic substances in a cigarette. There are over 4000 toxic substances in a cigarette. They are arsenic, acetic acid, ammonia, butane, carbon monoxide and tar.

According to statistics in the 20th century the world over 100 million people died of tobacco-related diseases. However, the proportion of smokers has not decreased, or even increased due to the limited understanding of the harmful effects of tobacco smoke, knowledge is limited.

Smoking is injurious to health and a preventable cause of premature death. In the U.S.; it is estimated that one in each five adults smoke currently and about 480,000 people die prematurely from diseases caused by smoking or secondhand smoke exposure. (CDC tobacco use). The economic burden of tobacco use is also significant. About $100 billion per year is spent in medical expenses and another $100 billion per year in lost productivity. There is no safe level of smoking

Tobacco use is one of the leading causes of death in the United States, killing more Americans than HIV, drug and alcohol abuse, suicides, murders and car accidents combined. There are numerous campaigns such as D.A.R.E. and “Swipe Left” to help persuade us out of using tobacco products. Sayings like “Not even once” have even become cliché. However, studies have shown that one cigarette is all it takes to get addicted. Despite popular belief, smokeless tobacco is addictive as well. Big tobacco companies are famous for telling lies. In 1996, the tobacco industry said it was riskier to drink two cups of milk a day than one cigarette. They also said cigarettes were just as addictive as salt, sugar and internet usage. Neither of these are true, as it is the most addictive of all legal drugs. That being said, cigarettes are only the tip of the iceberg to the major problems that tobacco causes. Tobacco products have an astonishing amount of cons, to accompany very few, petty pros like “it makes me feel better for a few minutes.” Not only do cigarettes hurt the smoker, but they hurt the ones closely surrounding the smoker, especially small children. There are also a great deal of unexpected environmental issues that come with tobacco products and its industry, such as deforestation, greenhouse gasses, and fires. Because of these destructive reasons, we propose that all tobacco products should be illegal.

Just over a billion people worldwide indulge themselves with a legal substance that has proven too insidiously cause disease or death. Approximately six million people die each year from this legal drug and it is one of the worst threats to humanity worldwide (WHO, 2016). This drug is sold legally over the counter throughout many countries including the United States. The Surgeon General’s Warning, “smoking causes lung cancer, heart disease, emphysema and may complicate pregnancy” was labeled on the packaging of cigarette boxes in the 1980’s. Eventually, launching a national campaign for smoking cessation. Despite the many laws that inhibit the use of tobacco smoke, these products continue to be a legally obtainable substance in the US with devastating damage as a result of their use.

Cigarettes are highly addictive, which is mainly due to the ingredient nicotine. Tobacco is contains thousands of different chemicals and at least 50 of them are known carcinogens and many of the other ingredients are poisonous. Nicotine is a hard habit to quit, more than half of smokers say they wish they could quit yet despite the gum, patches and other remedies many cannot. Imagine waking up every day, smoking a cigarette, and knowing that you’re adversely affecting everything that surrounds you. Imagine feeling horrible about smoking but have a greater need to satisfy your nicotine addiction. Imagine seeing your young child cough upon inhalation of secondhand smoke and knowing that they too are inhaling the poisonous and carcinogenic compounds.

Cigarettes are the leading cause of preventable disease or death in the United States resulting in 480,000 per year (CDC). In comparison, there has never been a reported death due solely

Most cigarettes have eight to nine mg of nicotine, though only one mg is transferred to the smoker. Nicotine increases the heart rate, raises the blood pressure and causes blood clotting to the smoker. The most important fact about nicotine is that it has no medical value. Other drugs like marijuana, heroine, and cocaine have no medical value as well but for some reason, cigarettes are legal in the US. An interesting fact that many people do not know is that nicotine, the addicting drug in cigarettes, is more addicting then marijuana, heroine, and cocaine. There has not been one reported death due to marijuana. In 1988, the U.S. Surgeon General reported that nicotine is just as addictive as heroin and cocaine. A "hit" of nicotine reaches the brain in seven seconds, twice as fast as heroin injected into the vein. And still the cigarette is still legal.

With over 7,000 chemicals placed in cigarettes and other tobacco products, it’s a highly addictive substance that is, without a doubt, a very difficult activity to cease. With enough true information, enough pressure on tobacco companies with companies or individuals that can afford to fight against tobacco corporations, and with enough resources and support I believe that as a country and as a species, we can irradiate the use of tobacco, which in turn will decrease so many devastating yet preventable diseases, increasing healthier lives for ourselves, our loved ones, and future generations. It will be a very difficult uphill battle but with the decrease in consumption of tobacco products (in 1965 around 42.4% of people consumed tobacco products and in 2014 its down to 16.8%) over the years (however gradual) I feel that we are on the right path to stop the proaction and consumption of tobacco products. Healthy People 2020 conducted frameworks, goals, objectives, and solutions/potential solutions to bring the consumption of tobacco products to an all time low within 10 year goal increments. Some of the Healthy People 2020 solutions to continue to decrease the percentage of people using

Cigarette smoking has been well documented to cause a wide range of health conditions such as heart diseases and respiratory problems and it is a major risk factor for getting various kind of cancers (Simpson & Nonnemaker, 2013). Besides illness and death, there are several research evidences presenting that cigarette smoking results in less productive life years and accountable for mounting unwanted medical costs. Globally, the preventable deaths caused by tobacco smoking accounts for over 6 million deaths yearly (Wilson et al., 2012). Currently, there are over 1 billion smokers in the world and over 80% of these smokers are living in low and middle income countries (Wilson et al., 2012). This figure is likely to increase to more than 8 million deaths a year by 2030. Sadly, this numbers only communicates that more than 80% of the deaths will be occurring in the developing world.

The preamble of the Agreement on Technical Barriers to Trade (‘TBT Agreement’) recognizes the right of WTO members, within the conditions of the Agreement, to promulgate and apply technical regulations to products sold in their domestic market for the purpose of public health protection. The Resolution of the High-level Meeting of the United Nations Assembly on the Prevention and Control of Non-Communicable Diseases emphasizes the influence of tobacco use to human’s health as follows: