Opinion Piece on Smoking

Smoking should be illegal!

Smoking cigarettes should be banned. The Australian council on smoking and health have stated that more than 18,000 Australians die prematurely each year from smoking- that’s 50 people per day. There are many people suffering from health problems which are mostly caused by smoking. Australians have to pay taxes for smoking when they don’t even smoke. Do you think this is fair? Children’s health can be affected by tobacco smoke especially when it occurs indoors. Smoking cigarettes should be banned.
Most people know that smoking can cause lung cancer, but it can also cause many other cancers, diseases and illnesses. In the UK there are over 100,000 deaths each year and contributes too many more. From these deaths, about 42,800 are from smoking related cancers, 30,600 are from cardiovascular disease and 29,100 people die slowly from emphysema and chronic lung diseases. The cigarettes that you are smoking contain more than 4000 chemical compounds and at least 400 toxic substances. My uncle is only 43 and he is already suffering from cancer and he only started smoking when he was 32 so within 11 years he is suffering from lung cancer. Do you want this happening to you? Smoking also leads to cost and health problems.
Smoking costs money as well as affecting your health. Cigarettes are expensive and if you quit you could save money now and for future health costs. One pack of 25 cigarettes costs $16 and the prices keep rising. You could do much more with your friends and family if you saved that money and didn’t smoke. Research has shown that smoking reduces life expectancy by seven or eight years. Some of the risks caused by smoking cigarettes are: high blood pressure, heart attacks, strokes, worse asthma and the blood vessels in your eyes. Smoking cigarettes can also cause your teeth and gums to stain, swollen gums, bad breath and teeth falling out. Do you want to be seen in public looking like this? Smoking cigarettes also means you are putting the people around you at risk.
Children who grow up in a home with one or two of their parents smoking have twice the risk of getting asthma and asthmatic bronchitis. They also have a higher risk of devolving allergies. For children under two years old they are more prone to serve respiratory infections and cot death. For adults, passive smoking increases the risk of lung cancer and heart disease. Other risks for passive smoking are: middle ear disease, asthma, respiratory and coronary heart disease. If a person who smokes can’t give up for their own health, then the health of their family or household members could be stronger motivation. World health organisation experts say passive smoking kills 600,000 people a year, including 165,000 children. Fewer women smoke than men and they are more likely to be exposed to passive smoking. Children are unable to escape second hand smoking at home. They are more likely than adults to suffer health damage from passive smoking, such as asthma or breathing problems. Do you want your loved ones to suffer from something that you caused?
I can see why many people don’t want to ban cigarettes and that’s because smoking cigarettes is such a strong addiction and because smoking cigarettes helps depression and stress. However, you are killing yourself and your loved ones.
As talked about above smoking has a very high risk of death. You can get numerous cancers and diseases from smoking and it affects your health in many ways which is not good for you. So why not ban smoking cigarettes?