A Habit that Kills
September 26, 2013
A Choice that kills
Cigarette smoking is an addictive and deadly habit that kills thousands of people.
Smoking not only affects the smoker but also the people around them. Smoking negatively affects our society in myriad ways. Cigarette companies’ being mandated to warn consumers about the consequences of smoking is not enough. Cigarette smoking should be banned in order to protect smokers, non-smokers and society as a whole.
Tobacco is responsible for 400,000 deaths a year (Martin, 2007). According to the Surgeon General of America, tobacco use is a leading factor in lung disease, gum disease and heart disease resulting in medical complications—estimated in the millions and at the fiscal cost—estimated in the billions (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2013).
Tragically, most people who smoke started prior to the age of eighteen. This may be because teenagers have to deal with a lot of peer pressure. The amount of new teenage smokers could be reduced if teenagers didn’t have to witness smoking. A concerning fact is that one in three people who start smoking as teenagers will die from smoking related causes (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2013).
Cigarettes use has an irrevocable effect on a fetus. The American Cancer Society suggests mothers who smoke during and after pregnancy are three to four times more likely to have a child die from sudden infant death syndrome (2013). “Smoking during pregnancy causes low birth weight in at least one in five infants” (America Cancer Society, 2013). Banning the public use of cigarettes would drastically reduce the convenience of this deadly habit. This could eventually lead to the smoker quitting. Each day an individual goes without a cigarette improves their overall health.
When a person quits smoking it also improves the health of everyone around them. Every year tobacco results in the
A Choice that kills
Cigarette smoking is an addictive and deadly habit that kills thousands of people.
Smoking not only affects the smoker but also the people around them. Smoking negatively affects our society in myriad ways. Cigarette companies’ being mandated to warn consumers about the consequences of smoking is not enough. Cigarette smoking should be banned in order to protect smokers, non-smokers and society as a whole.
Tobacco is responsible for 400,000 deaths a year (Martin, 2007). According to the Surgeon General of America, tobacco use is a leading factor in lung disease, gum disease and heart disease resulting in medical complications—estimated in the millions and at the fiscal cost—estimated in the billions (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2013).
Tragically, most people who smoke started prior to the age of eighteen. This may be because teenagers have to deal with a lot of peer pressure. The amount of new teenage smokers could be reduced if teenagers didn’t have to witness smoking. A concerning fact is that one in three people who start smoking as teenagers will die from smoking related causes (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2013).
Cigarettes use has an irrevocable effect on a fetus. The American Cancer Society suggests mothers who smoke during and after pregnancy are three to four times more likely to have a child die from sudden infant death syndrome (2013). “Smoking during pregnancy causes low birth weight in at least one in five infants” (America Cancer Society, 2013). Banning the public use of cigarettes would drastically reduce the convenience of this deadly habit. This could eventually lead to the smoker quitting. Each day an individual goes without a cigarette improves their overall health.
When a person quits smoking it also improves the health of everyone around them. Every year tobacco results in the
Cited: "Child and Teen Tobacco Use." Cancer.org. The American Cancer Society, 01 Jan. 2013. Web. 23 Sept. 2013. "Cigarette Butt Waste." No-smoke.org. American Nonsmokers Rights Foundation, 30 July 2013. iWeb. 23 Sept. 2013. "Cigarette Smoking." Cancer.org. The American Cancer Society, 07 Jan. 2013. Web. 24 Sept. 2013. Martin, Mike W. Everyday morality: An Introduction to Applied Ethics. 4th ed. Belmont, CA: Thomson/Wadsworth, 2007. Print. "Secondhand Smoke." Cancer.org. American Cancer Society, 17 Jan. 2013. Web. 24 Sept. 2013. "Tobacco Facts and Figures." Betobaccofree.gov. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 27 Feb. 2013. Web. 26 Sept. 2013. ii"Tobacco Use." Cdc.gov. American Lung Association, 16 Nov. 2012. Web. 26 Sept. 2013.