Expository - Why Smoking Should Be Banned

Expository Task - That the Sale of Cigarettes be Banned Altogether

Smoking should be banned because it causes so much harm to our society. Smoking is known to cause several horrible illnesses such as cancer, long-term respiratory diseases, heart problems, strokes and of course premature death. Approximately 19,000 Australians die every year due to cigarette smoking.

Smoking causes 10% of the world’s deaths, making it the largest cause of preventable death in the western world. Smoking, on average, cuts off 7-8 years of one’s life span, meaning that each cigarette shortens the life of a smoker by approximately 8 minutes. Cigarettes are more harmful than some illegal drugs, and cause more deaths in Australia that alcohol and illicit drugs combined. Cigarette smoking leads to cancer, emphysema, heart disease, pneumonia, stroke and many more. If we were to ban cigarettes it would free up hospital beds and put less pressure on our straining medicinal system

Some may argue that people are addicted to the horrid chemicals (mainly nicotine) within a cigarette, making it harder for the government to ban their sale. But Nicotine products would still be available and of course self-help groups & quit-lines. Even if one does not have access to these services, aren’t simple withdrawal symptoms are better than losing 8 years of your life?

Many smokers themselves want to quit, but due to its easy accessibility they simply cannot. If the ban was supported and passed, the smokers within a week of quitting will have higher levels of protective anti-oxidants. Within 2 months their immune system would have begun to recover. Within one year their blood pressure would have returned to normal. After 2 to 5 years they will notice a large drop in their risk of getting a heart attack & stroke. This risk will gradually decrease over the years.

Some people may say that if we ban cigarettes, our government will go in debt and economy will be ruined. This isn’t entirely true. The government can fine those who are caught with cigarettes, and organize other anti-cigarette money making schemes. In fact, It would be economically WORSE if we do not ban cigarettes. The US CDC (Centre for Disease Control and Prevention) has said that $92 billion are lost each year from lost productivity due to smoking deaths. Smoking also costs the United States over $150 billion annually in health care costs.

Smokers would argue that they have the right to smoke as much as they want, but it should be noted that their second-hand smoke inhibits the basic rights and freedoms of others having clean air and a healthy life. Cigarettes should be banned because they don’t just affect those who smoke it; they also effect those around them. You’re making the choice not just for yourself, but for those around you. It has been discovered that the effects of second hand smoking are much worse than that of first hand. This is because when one is breathing in smoke first-hand they are doing so through a filter, whilst the second hand smoke is unfiltered, meaning it harbors more deadly chemicals. Second-hand smoke contains 4000 chemicals, 50 of which are known to cause cancer. this smoke can also double the risk of strokes in non-smokers. Each year, more than 1000 non-smokers die due to second hand smoke.
In conclusion, the sale of cigarettes should be banned because cigarettes only bring death, disease and financial problems. If it were to be banned our air would be cleaner, our economy richer and our lives improved.