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Banning Cigarettes

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Banning Cigarettes
Banning Cigarettes Do you smoke cigarettes? Do you know what is inside of those cigarettes that you are smoking? According to an article by Robert Grazian, cigarettes have thousands of chemicals in them (1). After witnessing my sister smoke cigarettes, I was curious to know why she did it so much. I decided to do an experiment on cigarettes after I made eighteen, which is the legal age to smoke cigarettes. I told one of my teachers about the experiment and she offered bonus points if I turned in a report on my experience. The purpose of my experiment was to see how cigarettes made me feel. I bought a box of Newports that had 20 cigarettes in it, and I smoked one cigarette once a day for 20 days straight. My overall experience was terrible. I do not like the feeling of the smoke going into my lungs, the smell, and the taste of cigarettes. Personally, I believe that cigarettes should be banned from retail outlets because its contents have too many chemicals, the smoke can cause lung cancer, and it is highly addictive. However, despite these points, the arguments against smoking cigarettes are really strong. Based on my experience, I believe cigarettes should be banned from legal retail outlets. Approximately 45 million Americans smoke cigarettes, and each individual person has their own opinion about cigarettes. Some people feel like cigarettes help them relax while others believe that cigarettes help relieve stress. Many smokers believe that the individual right to privacy should allow people to harm their own bodies with dangerous drugs if they choose to do so (Head). Most rural communities are dependent on the selling of tobacco to companies who produce cigarettes. The tobacco industry employs thousands of people to produce and distribute the product. Therefore, if cigarettes were banned, these people who are employed by tobacco companies would lose their jobs. As documented in a 2000 USDA report, restrictions on tobacco-related products do have a


Bibliography: Fleming, Grace. "Argument Essay Topics - 50 Controversial Topics for Argument Essays and Speeches." About.com A Part of the New York Times Company. New York Times Co., 2012. Web. 6 Sep 2012. <http://citationmachine.net/index2.php?reqstyleid=1&mode=form&rsid=6&reqsrcid=MLAWebDocument&more=yes&nameCnt=1>. Grazian, Robert. "What 's Inside a Cigarette?." Ezine Articles. Ezine Articles Co., 19 Sept 2008. Web. 7 Sep 2012. <http://citationmachine.net/index2.php?reqstyleid=1&mode=form&rsid=6&reqsrcid=MLAWebDocument&more=yes&nameCnt=1>. Head, Tom. "Smoking Ban - Should Cigarettes Be Illegal?." About.com A Part of the New York Times Company. New York Times Co., 2012. Web. 6 Sep 2012. <http://civilliberty.about.com/od/drugpolicy/i/cigarettes_ban_2.htm>.

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