Public Smoking Should Be Banned

Gupta 2 Table of Contents Background Information........................................................................................................4 Reasons for Ban .....................................................................................................................5 Conclusion .............................................................................................................................6

Gupta 3 Outline I. Introduction II. Background Information III. Reasons for Ban A. Higher Risk for Children B. Effect on Environment C. Second-hand Smoking IV. Conclusion

Gupta 4 Shubham Gupta Mr. Coyner English 31 August 2012 Public Smoking Should Be Banned Many men and women throughout the world have smoking addictions. According to the BBC news, about ten million people in the UK smoke cigarettes, and two million more smoke pipes or cigars. Most of them have probably smoked in a public place, or somewhere with many other people around, including non-smokers. However, some of them dont realize that their habit is affecting them, and even more of them dont know it is affecting other things or people around them. That is why there should be a public ban on smoking worldwide to protect nonsmokers, especially young children, and the environment itself. Background Information Other news websites and people have expressed their concern and information on this topic as well. As of 2010, the World Health Organization has stated that smoking is the cause of death for every person out of ten. Also, scientists estimate that a smoking ban could cause about 5,000 lives to be saved annually. In Seoul, there had been a meeting organized in 2010 to prohibit smoking in communal places such as malls, streets, and parks. Nearly sixty percent of the people who had taken a survey about the issue had protested to second hand smoking in restaurants. As of 2007, the United Kingdom has about one out of four smokers, and most of them are over the age of sixteen. Soon enough, there was ban placed later that year; and the Health Secretary, Alan Johnson had sad that it ...will improve the health of thousand of people, reduce the temptation to smoke and encourage smokers to quit. Another place that public
student 8/31/12 7:16 PM Deleted: p student 8/31/12 7:14 PM Comment: This sentence doesnt flow very well, and sounds awkward.

Gupta 5 smoking has a huge impact on is the United States of America. About 126 million people who dont smoke are affected by second hand smoking as of 2006. In that same year, about 3,400 nonsmoking Americans were killed from lung cancer, 46,000 from heart disease, and 430 infants who were only near smokers. As a result, many doctors, surgeons, professors, and just normal citizens encourage a ban on public smoking because of its negative effects. Reasons for Ban One reason I think there smoking in public should be prohibited is because of its imminent death for children and infants. Children are more vulnerable to smoke and at more risk of having asthma, respiratory illnesses, or allergies as a result of it. There have been reports of teenagers smoking because of them seeing people smoking in public as well. Children can have burns from a cigarette being to close to their faces, and some infants are tempted to play with cigarette butts on the ground, which can harm them greatly because of the chemicals in them. If there were more bans on communal smoking and littering, many deaths and injuries could be prevented from little children. Another major reason that public smoking should be forbidden is of the affect it has on the environment. Many of the smokers throw away their cigarette stubs onto the ground, causing there to be much litter around the world. If there was a smoking ban, a lot of litter would be reduced, and the cost of removing it as well. These cigarette butts can also become potential fire hazards, because they continue to burn for several minutes, which can threaten public areas. Another way the environment can be protected if there was a prohibition is that many birds and other wildlife can be out of danger from the cigarettes. The smoke from cigarettes also adds to the large amount of pollution in the air, and could be decreased with a ban of smoking in communal areas.
student 8/31/12 7:16 PM Comment: What does it mean to be a normal citizen? I shouldve changed this.

Gupta 6 Finally, one of the biggest reasons smoking should be banned in local areas is so nonsmokers can be protected from second-hand smoking. Millions and millions of people die just because someone else is smoking, while they are choosing not to. It is very unfair to those people who are being affected, but it is the reality. Some people go against this and say that it is the smokers freedom to do whatever they want, wherever they want. But what about people who choose to be healthy but still want to go outside and be a social person? It isnt fair to those people at all. One person shouldnt be the possible cause of one other persons, or maybe even more, death. Some scientists say that the smoke is deadly to the people who are smoking the cigarette, as well as the people who are involuntarily taking it in. After a smoking ban in Italy, there has been a significant amount of decreased heart attacks. In 2003, Helena, Montana had a six-month ban on public smoking which decreased the number of heart attacks by half. If there is such an amazing long-term effect of having these bans, why arent other cities doing them, or even countries? Conclusion There are so many benefits and lives being saved from public smoking bans. What would happen if this happened worldwide? People all around the world who intentionally chose healthy lives will stay healthy and not get diseases because of someone else. Environment wont deteriorate even more, and there will be less fire hazards. Children and infants will be protected from the negativity of smoking and cigarettes from a young age, and will grow up to be not as vulnerable to smoking as before. I think that a prohibition on smoking in public places can have a profuse effect on the condition of out people and nature.

Gupta 7 Works Cited "Abortion." Placerville Pregnancy Counseling Services. Placerville Pregnancy Counseling Services, 2012. Web. 11 Mar. 2012. <http://www.placervillepcs.org/abortion.php>.

"An Overview Of Abortion In The United States." Guttmacher Institute. Guttmacher Institute. Web. 12 Mar. 2012. <http://www.guttmacher.org/media/presskits/2005/06/28/abortionoverview.html>.