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May 8, 2015
Smoking Bans
As of January 21st, 2014 there are one billion smokers globally, which accumulates to
almost one third of the adult population on Earth (Bollyky 7). In many undeveloped countries
such as Bangladesh and Indonesia, the number of smokers is continuing to grow (Bollyky 7)

.Smoking is a bad habit that many people around the world are addicted to but are unable to quit.
The world governments, however, have been gradually increasing their efforts on trying to help
the world give up such an unhealthy addiction. The use of bans against smoking is justified
because it saves lives, protects the rights of others, and reduces medical costs.
Currently, smoking numbers are skyrocketing, especially in specific areas in the world.
According to Bollyky, the World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that the use of tobacco
will kill 1 billion people this century, with 80% of those deaths accumulating in developing
countries (7). Death rates among those who smoke tend to be two or even three times higher than
a person who has never smoked (Grady 7). There is a strong link between tobacco and a plethora
of cancers. According to Grady, "the diseases...caused by smoking were cancers of the
esophagus, colon, liver, pancreas, larynx, lung, bladder," and 14 other serious cancers (18). This
large number could easily be cut down if the establishment of bans were further put into action.
The preserving of human lives should be a priority, but it tends to be put on the side. "Tobacco
use, which annually kills more than HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria combined, is not even a
line item in the $8 billion U.S. global health budget" (Bollyky 10). Clearly, there is money set

aside for health problems to be resolved, but tobacco prevention is not even an issue considered
with the proper magnitude by the U.S as a whole.

The following graph on smoking is a public survey on if smoking should be a habit that is given
up as a whole. There is a clear viewpoint growth of 17% in total from August of 1977 to 2004 of
July that smoking should be given up. In turn, the opinion of continuing to smoke has gone down
12 percent. The wanting to smoke has gradually decreased over the passing years, so bans used
to put a stop to smoking have definitely proved to be a good way to push those wanting to kick
the habit in the right direction. Even those who had no opinion on quitting or continuing to
smoke have had a gradual decrease in their numbers. Smoking leads only to more deaths.
However, the gradual introduction of warning labels and bans has slowed the rising death rate

and even turned it upside down, especially in the Americas and Asia. Through the years 1964 to
2014, many methods of tobacco prevention such as warning labels and bans in certain places
have lead to 50% cut in Americans who smoke (Bollyky 5, 6). After a smoke ban was enacted in
Ireland, France, Germany, and the Netherlands, there was an increase in smokers who banned
household smoking in-home by 25, 17, 38, and 28 percent respectively (Kelland 10). According
to Quirmbach, a simulation study was done in Russia predicting the effects of fully implemented
and enforce anti-smoking laws, with results that revealed 3.7 premature deaths avoided by 2055
(14) It is definitely evident that the bans are effective. An analysis of the decline in U.S. smoking
by the Journal of the American Medical Assn. estimated that 8 million lives were saved and
increased the average U.S life expectancy by two years (Bollyky 6). The benefits of bans and
advertisements against smoking have positive results, and these benefits even have an even more
positive future. Tanner has stated that even "life expectancy for 40-year-olds has increased by
more than 5 years since 1964; tobacco control accounts for about 30 percent of that gain" (5). An
investment report done on the future benefits of smoking reductions brought out that the if
gradual decrease continues, smoking could vanish from areas of wealthy countries in 30 to 50
years (Bollyky 6). Although a long road to the future, the benefits are perfectly clear. Bans on
smoking have definitely saved lives, especially in the U.S. The benefits of not smoking even
help protect the rights of those who are nonsmokers.
Although it is the smokers decision to endanger his or her own life, they are also putting
others around them in danger when they decide to light a cigarette. In 2011, the WHO warned
that 600,000 nonsmokers could be killed by the exposure of second-hand smoke, which would

potentially increase tobacco-related deaths to 8 million annually by 2030 (Kelland 7).

Secondhand smoke is smoke that is inhaled involuntarily from tobacco being smoked by others.
Thus, being in the presence of those who are smoking can lead to many health consequences.
Johnson stated that "about 46,000 heart disease deaths and 3,400 lung cancer deaths are caused
by secondhand smoke each year" (2). A drastic add on to these numbers is the large exposure of
smoke to children. About 60% of U.S children between the ages of 3 and 11 are exposed to
secondhand smoke, becoming the gateway to many severe respiratory illnesses such as
bronchitis and pneumonia (Johnson 11). According to Johnson, children are more heavily
exposed to secondhand smoke than adults, and its evidence is clear in both the deaths and
illnesses that its caused. These children, as well as nonsmoking adults, would be categorized
under nonsmokers, who are those who do not smoke. They are unwillingly exposed to these
harmful chemicals and are unable to protect themselves. Even beyond secondhand smoke is a
category called 'thirdhand smoke,' which is the residual fumes found on draperies and furniture
in a room after a smoker has left," which can be bad for health. (Johnson 7). Second and
thirdhand smoke are a clear violation of the rights of those are choosing not to be exposed to
such toxic chemicals. In England, the benefits of smoking bans has contributed to the health of
the country. The new smoking bans that were established in England led to a decrease in the
amount of children admitted to hospitals because of asthma attacks (Smoking Bans Cut 12).
Szabo stated that, in a study done on a law banning smoking in three different types of public
areas in over 35 countries, "hospitalizations for respiratory disease fell 24%" (3).Many similar
statistics do relay the same information that smoking bans are promoting the health of others.

Thus, the bans against smoking would undoubtedly help contribute to safety of these individuals
and protect their rights as human beings, even helping them save financially.
The establishment of smoking has saved money in many different aspects. For example,
in Starkville, Mississippi, the amount of total savings in all health care costs reached $302,000
(Szabo 14). In Germany, nearly $7 million was saved on hospitalizations related to hearts attacks
alone (Szabo 14). Health care costs can potentially become lower for everyone because money is
being saved, a beneficial result of smoking bans. Besides health care savings alone, property and
its value are also saved. Seelye stated that "in 2006...smoking was responsible for more than
18,000 apartment fires that resulted in the deaths of 700 people, excluding firefighters, and
caused almost $500 million in property damage" (18). An abundance of money is lost because of
the potential damages that smoking can cause. Without smoking in places such as apartment
buildings and homes, the risk of damages such as fire are significantly decreased. Property
managers have even said that smokeless apartments are more inexpensive to clean, especially
those with carpet, and even reduce the risk of fire (Seelye 5). Bans on smoking have provided
small monetary benefits in the areas where they're established. It has also become clear that the
addiction to tobacco does not lead to profit compared to the costs it generates through medical
strain. According to Rauscher, the world tobacco market produces an annual loss of $200 billion
globally (14). Tobacco draws in a lot of money and even creates jobs for the people, but the total
medical costs associated with smoking firmly outweigh the economic benefits (Rauscher 21).In
other countries, a similar trend is also drawn. In 2010, China estimated that the medical and lostlabor costs due to illnesses caused by tobacco totaled to $253 million dollars annually

(Leavenworth 35). Bans that are put on smoking do help to lower health care and medical costs
as well, and their benefits are amplified with the evidence of tobacco being a large source of lost
money. This gives even more reason why bans against smoking should be supported with the
utmost of confidence.
Smoking bans have significant proof of success and should be supported because they
help save lives, protect the rights of those who do not smoke, and help save everyone money in
different ways. The evidence is clear that establishing more bans while enforcing them with
significant force would provide an amount of benefits immeasurable in comparison the cons that
some would support. Thus, we should make it our own personal duty to keep the planet clean of
smoking by refraining from the habit ourselves and even helping others in need.