McElwain 1

Jacob McElwain

Professor Volstad

UWRT 1103-010

25 February 2019

Why Cigarettes Should Be Banned in the United States

Smoking has impacted every American at one point or another in their lives. According

to the CDC, upwards of 35 million Americans smoke cigarettes daily. Additionally, the CDC

says smoking cigarettes is the United States’ leading cause of preventable disease and death, as

they are linked to one in five deaths (“Smoking & Tobacco Use”). Smoking is an expensive and

dangerous activity that is associated with many deadly diseases. Smoking must be banned in the

United States to help improve the health of adults and children, to reduce the abundancy of

deadly diseases, and to improve the financial security of Americans.

Before discussing why smoking should be banned in the United States, it is important to

understand what causes Americans to smoke to begin with. Americans begin smoking for several

different reasons. For some older Americans, it was because it was the cool thing to do and

smoking cigarettes would help show their maturity and improve their social status. Perhaps, this

could be a result of many television shows featuring celebrities smoking cigarettes, which

affected impressionable Americans. Some veterans picked up the habit because cigarettes were

rationed off as part of their MREs (meals soldiers were given by the government). Others began

smoking as a way to cope with stressful situations or to help manage their weight. Younger

Americans may begin smoking as a result of learned behavior (from watching older family

members) or peer-pressure from friends. This actively illustrates that there are many reasons

people begin to smoke, but this does not make smoking an appropriate or healthy behavior
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(“Why Do People Smoke?”). Two individuals were interviewed to determine why they may

begin smoking—both wished to remain anonymous. One said that she began smoking because it

made her feel “more mature” and it gave her a “rush.” The other said he began smoking because

it was “the cool thing to do.”

Unfortunately, smoking has numerous detrimental effects on the human body. This is the

result of the 4000 plus toxins found in cigarette smoke. Not to mention that many of these toxins

are carcinogens—which mean they cause cancer (Kathiresan and Singh, “Effect of Cigarette”).

Some of these chemicals include nicotine, the addictive chemical that leaves smokers wanting

more and more, formaldehyde, a gas used in building materials and glues, lead, and arsenic.

Nobody wants these dangerous chemicals inside of their body. According to the CDC, lead is

most dangerous when inhaled, as the body absorbs more of it. The CDC continues to state that “a

person who is exposed to lead over a long period of time may feel depressed, forgetful,

nauseous, and irritable. They may be at risk for high blood pressure, reduced fertility…”

(“Health Problems Caused by Lead”). The World Health Organization (WHO) elaborates on the

affects of arsenic on the body. The WHO says that arsenic in its inorganic form is “highly toxic”

and “people that smoke tobacco are exposed to inorganic arsenic.” A few effects of arsenic are

skin pigmentation changes, hyperkeratosis, and skin cancer (“Arsenic”). These are just a few

results of the toxins found in cigarettes. The list continues with erectile disfunction, fertility

issues, and decreased bone density(“10 Health Effects”). If people stop smoking cigarettes, these

toxins would be less abundant and the overall health of Americans would improve.

The toxins in cigarettes also result in tooth loss, stained teeth, and bad breath. A poll

could be done to determine whether Americans care about their teeth enough to stop smoking,

and the results would probably not be surprising. Since the thought of losing teeth and spraying
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smoky, foul-smelling breath over the person that smoker is having a conversation with is not

convincing enough, it is important to point out that smoking results in extremely detrimental and

deadly diseases. It was projected that tobacco killed 50% more people than HIV/AIDS in 2015

(Kathiresan and Singh, “Effect of Cigarette”). Types of diseases associated with cigarettes

include but are not limited to: skin cancer, lung cancer, cancer in the urinary tract, cancer in the

oral cavity, cancer in the oropharynx and hypopharynx, cancer in the esophagus, larynx,

pancreas, stomach, cervix, leukaemia, breasts, and prostate. The public would surely agree that

such diseases are not enticing. Smoking also can result in type-2 diabetes and rheumatoid

arthritis (“10 Health Effects Caused by Smoking”). Smoking is a choice. These diseases are

completely preventable. Banning cigarettes would help people improve their health because it

would make them less accessible and it would change how cigarettes are viewed by the public.

Cigarettes affect more than just the smoker. Cigarettes remain a health threat for those

who have never had one near their mouth. The reasoning behind this is secondhand smoke. At

one point in everyone’s lives they have been walking by a building that has a dedicated smoking

area. They have been practically forced to walk through the smoking area to their destination.

They will cough, hack, and choke the entire time they spend walking through the area. They

almost feel as if a piece of them is dying. And, in fact, a piece of them was. Slowly. Not only

does secondhand smoke exist, but so does thirdhand smoke. Thirdhand smoke is the buildup of

secondhand smoke. Thirdhand smoke becomes more and more toxic as time passes. Thirdhand

smoke is dangerous because:

“Thirdhand smoke is a health threat to children, spouses of smokers, and workers in

environments were smoking is or has been allowed…mice exposed to thirdhand smoke

[in a study performed] show alterations in organ systems and excrete levels of a tobacco-
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specific carcinogen marker similar to those found in children exposed to secondhand

smoke…smoke is also a contributor to cardiovascular disease, chronic obstructive

pulmonary disease, and asthma…mice exposed to thirdhand smoke also became

hyperactive, suggesting that certain behavioral problem in children are a result of

secondhand and thirdhand smoke” (Martin-Green et al., “Cigarette Smoke Toxins

Deposited”).

Smoking cigarettes affects those around the smoker and all those people that the

secondhand smoker came into contact with. Smoking leaves a harmful chemical web of affected

people. These affected people are affecting others and increasing the abundance of harmful

toxins and diseases. Banning cigarettes would change the public’s perception of them and would

help improve the health of those potentially affected by secondhand and thirdhand smoke.

Not only do cigarettes affect spouses, children, friends, and family, cigarettes pose a

threat to the environment. In the past 25 years, 52,907,756 cigarette butts have been collected

from international beaches (Kathiresan and Singh, “Effect of Cigarette”). This may not relate

directly to the United States, but we all live on this Earth and banning cigarettes would decrease

the amount of environmental harm they cause. Think about how many times you have seen a

smoker throw a cigarette but out of the car window or on the ground because a trash can was not

within arm’s length? Think about where all those chemicals that are found in cigarettes go when

they eventually degrade into the ground or wash into water ways. Smoke for cigarettes also

releases roughly 2.6 billion kilograms of carbon dioxide and 5.2 billion kilograms of methane

worldwide each year (Kathiresan and Singh, “Effect of Cigarette”). Methane and carbon dioxide

are two of the biggest greenhouse gases (“Climate Change Causes”). Therefore, we are harming
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ourselves in more ways than we may originally think when we allow cigarettes to be smoked in

the United States.

Cigarettes are not only dangerous to everyone on Earth, smoking is a very expensive

habit. On average, a pack of cigarettes is $5.51 in the United States (“Prices of Cigarettes by

State”). If you consider one pack per day “normal”, then that means the “normal” smoker would

spend over $2,000 yearly to slowly kill themselves. One interviewed individual considered

herself a “normal” smoker, smoking one pack per day. She spend $2,200 annually on cigarettes.

She also repeatedly mentioned that she regretted ever starting smoking and that she wishes to

make it up to her child who had to put up with it for so many years. Another individual

considered himself a “light” smoker and recalled that he spent around $800 yearly on smoking.

Imagine lower-class Americans. It may already be difficult for them to make ends meet. Now

imagine lower-class Americans having to struggle with a $2000 annual habit that could result in

hospitalization down the road. What are they going to do when they do not have the funds for

that? Banning cigarettes would prevent Americans from spending money on a detrimental habit

so they could put money elsewhere, perhaps in savings.

Many Americans believe that electronic cigarettes are a safe alternative to traditional

cigarettes but, unfortunately, that is not the case. While some studies show that they help

increases quit rates, there are others that show that they still contain dangerous chemicals. E-

cigarettes still contain nicotine. Nicotine in e-cigarettes still has all the harmful affects that

nicotine in traditional cigarettes has. Additionally, e-cigarettes have flavored chemicals, if you

will. These chemicals, because they are flavored, result in an increased attraction to younger

audiences. This is unfortunate because nicotine “impairs the prefrontal brain development in

adolescents, leading to ADD and poor impulse control” (Ross, “E-Cigarettes: Good News, Bad
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News”). Additionally, the article by Harvard says that accidental poisoning from e-cigarettes’

liquids in kids have increased by 1500% in the past few years. Banning traditional cigarettes

alone will not solve all of America’s problems associated with cigarettes. Electronic cigarettes

need to be prohibited as well to help protect children and young adults.

People begin smoking for all kinds of reasons, but there are better ways to be cool, deal

with weight problems, and handle stress. Cigarettes are beneficial to no one. The smokers create

a web of those infected by the deadly toxins and everybody involved in the web—including

friends, family, spouses, grandparents, children, and the environment suffers. Smoking is not

cheap either, and some smokers cannot afford the habit but do not have the willpower to give it

up either. Banning cigarettes in the United States will help improve the health of children and

adults, reduce the abundance of deadly diseases, and improve the financial security of

Americans. Banning cigarettes will help us become better.

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Works Cited

“10 Health Effects Caused by Smoking You Didn’t Know About.” American Lung Association,

2019, https://www.lung.org/our-initiatives/tobacco/reports-resources/sotc/by-the-

numbers/10-health-effects-caused-by-smoking.html.

“Arsenic.” World Health Organization, 15 Feb. 2018, https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-

sheets/detail/arsenic.

“Climate Change Causes: A Blanket Around the Earth.” NASA, 5 Feb. 2018,

https://climate.nasa.gov/causes/

“Health Problems Caused by Lead.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 18 June 2018,

https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/lead/health.html.

Kathiresan K. & Singh, C. “Effect of Cigarette Smoking on Human Health.” Asian Pacific

Journal of Tropical Biomedicine, 5(2), 10 Mar. 2015, https://ac.els-

cdn.com/S2221169115303373/1-s2.0-S2221169115303373-main.pdf?_tid=0f15c2d1-

c54f-4a75-8aef-

706ffe744310&acdnat=1550005096_9e8b56a517081c115e58b1c2cce40160.

Martin-Green, M., et al. “Cigarette Smoke Toxins Deposited on Surfaces: Implications for

Human Health.” PLoS ONE, 9(1), 29 Jan. 2014,

https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0086391.

“Prices of Cigarettes by State.” Fair Reporters, 3 Apr. 2017,

http://fairreporters.net/health/prices-of-cigarettes-by-state/.

Ross, John. “E-Cigarettes: Good News, Bad News.” Harvard Health Blog, Harvard Health

Publishing, 8 July 2016, https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/electronic-cigarettes-good-

news-bad-news-2016072510010.
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“Smoking & Tobacco Use.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 4 Feb. 2019,

https://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/data_statistics/fact_sheets/adult_data/cig_smoking/index.ht

m.

“Why Do People Smoke?” Help to Quit, Apr. 2018, https://www.helptoquit.com.au/smoking-

facts/why-do-people-smoke.