Should Cigarette Smoking Be Banned
Smoking has been part of our life for many centuries now. It has evolved from simple tobacco type rolled in leaf to a more refined stick that has filter. Many people because of the smoke it produces. Many studies have suggested that smoking carries with it many different disease complications and that it should be limited if not totally banned. In my opinion smoking should definitely be banned in public places as it not only has deleterious effects on the non smokers present there but also may cause allergic coughing to many people.
Besides, many youngsters are fascinated by the act of smoking and try to imitate it which may later develop into a habit. The first and foremost argument for the implementation and regulation of a smoking ban is very obviously, health related. No one who smokes is unaware of the various ill effects that it has. The number of chemicals that are present in one single cigarette is mind boggling. And regular smoking can lead to severe health conditions like oral cancer, lung cancer, etc. Why someone would want themselves to go through such an ordeal is beyond most people.
While smokers may argue that it is an addiction, what they cannot answer is that: is this addiction stronger than the value of their lives? The more they smoke, the more susceptible they become to adverse health conditions. So, there’s no real motive for people to want them to stop smoking, in private or in public, but for their own better health. Smoke which arises when a person smokes a cigarette, bide or cigar is more hazardous to a passive smoker who inhales the smoke being in close vicinity of the active smoker. The smoke being inhaled by the former is unfiltered thereby causing more ill effects.
Several pulmonary diseases such as cough, bronchitis, asthma and last but not the least carcinoma of lungs may occur as a consequence of smoking. Next, this may be the most overused argument for people to stop smoking in the presence of other people: the passive smoking effect. It’s not like they don’t know that they are putting others’ health and lives in danger, they do it in spite of it. Smoking around people has an effect on their health as well. Sometimes, these conditions can get even worse than those of the smokers themselves.
Where’s the justice in that? People who smoke get affected, and people around them, because of them, get affected too. It’s high time smokers realized their intentional ignorance and took some responsibility. If not for themselves, at least for those around them. If they argue about their ‘rights’ being infringed by banning smoking, what about the rights of those getting affected by their incessant puffing? Are they not entitled to clean fresh air to breathe. The clean, fresh air that smokers make it so difficult to maintain.
Many countries such as India have implemented a ban on public smoking. It has become mandatory to have no smoking zones in all eating joints, recreation centers etc. This practice may seem as a curbing of ones right to freedom especially to the smokers but surely this step will go a long way in achieving a healthier life style. Many people who gradually become aware of the ill effects of smoking are turning towards dead diction centers to get rid of this habit. Even the advocates of smoking in public areas disapprove of the practice when it comes to their off springs.
Witnessing the elders smoking kindles similar desire in a youngster thereby giving birth to a new generation aft smoker. Advertently or inadvertently, smokers do tend to influence those around them. Whether it is a teenager who’s just entered high school, or a young child watching his father smoking at home or even a working professional who is trying to fit in with his colleagues; it is very easy to get influenced by someone who is seen smoking, especially when the smoker gives it so much importance and glorifies it like it is the best thing to do.
This definitely has an impact on what the person thinks about smoking, and it more often than not, leads people to begin smoking. If smokers argue that it is up to the people to make their own decisions and that they shouldn’t smoke if they don’t want to, then they are very highly underestimating the power of peer pressure. In conclusion, To avoid these evils of smoking and ensure a healthy platform for the youth it is not only our duty but need of the day to condemn such practices if not completely then at least socially.. Claiming smoking withdrawal symptoms is just an excuse that smokers take refuge in.
What they do not realize is that they have the power to control, and eventually stop the terrible habit that has affected and continues to affect millions across the globe. Will they not make it a better, cleaner and safer place to live in for their own future generations? So, if an answer is required for the question: should smoking be banned in public places or even in private areas, then it is a very straightforward one: YES, it should! In general, I think the world be a better place without cigarettes. However, the decisions as to whether to smoke or not should be for each individual to make.
