Should There Be A Ban On Smoking In Public Places? Essay

Introduction

As most people well know, dealing with someone else’s smoking is not an easy thing to do and most prefer not to if they did not have to. People go out into public places where they have to deal with this same issue and some would agree that it is not getting any better. Riffkin reported that “a little less than 60% of the total population says that a smoking ban in public places will likely reduce the risk of other people dying from someone else’s secondhand smoke” (Riffkin). It can be argued that secondhand smoke does no less damage to a person’s body than getting hit in the temple with a tennis ball, but nothing is farther from the truth. Saint Louis explained that “people are breathing easier knowing that the smoking ban is helping and looking out for them including those enforcing it” (Saint Louis). Sadly, it has gotten to a point where people are complaining about the amount of cigarette smoke in the air and how they are worried that smokers are not doing their part by smoking elsewhere. Let it be known that smoking bans have made it easier for people to avoid things such as hospital stays and trips to the county jail, but there are still some people complaining that smokers are still disobeying the precepts of the smoking ban. It is a known fact that people are going to smoke where and when they wish, but smoking bans have prevented people from suffering in the worst way. So, the question is should there be a ban on smoking in public places; the answer, an emphatic yes! Smoking in public places should be banned and this paper will explain why.

The women and children

Women and children are among the most important people in the known world, pregnant women to be more specific. There should definitely be a ban on smoking in public places because pregnant women stand a great chance of giving birth to a baby with birth defects such as mental retardation, breathing problems, asthma and upper respiratory problems all of which can make a baby’s life go from short to non-existent. Now, smokers have the right to smoke as often as they want and kill themselves as they please, but not at the expense of endangering everyone around them including pregnant women. Ellis explained that “smoking bans do not just separate smokers from those who do not smoke or wish too, but it also has turned many a smoker into non-smokers” (Ellis). Ironically, the smoking bans in public places have caused quite a few people to quit smoking all together and it can be argued that if they could not have their way about smoking where they want in public then there is no point; some saw no point in continuing to smoke if the smoking bans was making efforts to stop smokers. Smoking bans in public places should just be for pregnant women alone, they are the most at risk and so is the fetus growing within. Smoking bans in public places where pregnant women commute or go to should be enforced heavily because ten times out of ten, they are not the only ones responsible for ensuring that the baby is born free of birth defects and the like; it is technically everyone’s responsibility even if they do not think it is. It is an unfair situation when a pregnant woman has to practically beg and plead for a smoker to put out their cigarette, it is insane how insensitive some smokers can be. Clune explained that “smoking bans in public places do not just keep smokers from gaining total control of public places, but the bans’ other special ability is to make smoking a once normal activity to a non-existent one” (Clune). Typically, most smokers have to be “persuaded” to stop smoking otherwise they will not stop; hence the bans.

Smelling like cigarettes does not mean you smoked it

Cigarette smoke is not only toxic to the human body, but it can turn an innocent person into a liar in a matter of seconds. Case in point, Jennifer is a 31-year-old mother of an 11 month old baby girl and she is married to her husband Thomas. Jennifer has been smoking since she was 19, she quit 3 years ago and she has been happy ever since. One day, Jennifer goes to the grocery store and a few teens are smoking at the door. Jennifer’s body and clothes absorb the cigarette smell, Thomas is not pleased because he thinks Jennifer was smoking. Cigarette smoke can cause people problems especially those who have asthma or COPD, smoking bans in public places is definitely necessary because it is the only way to get the message across that smoking in public places is bad for everyone. In Banning Smoking in public places will not do much harm, Arnett & Moutrie suggests that “smoking bans serve a greater purpose which is protecting everyone from someone else’s cigarette smoke” (Arnett & Moutrie). Smoking bans in public places should be made to encourage smokers to stop smoking, some people do not realize that their life span is reduced little by little from inhaling someone else’s cigarette smoke. Smokers should smoke somewhere far away from other people like their back porch or somewhere other people do not have to worry about inhaling cigarette smoke.

Conclusion

Smoking bans in public places should definitely be enforced if for nothing else to look out for pregnant women and their unborn, asthma is another thing that non-smoking bans give birth to. Smoking bans in public places can and have reduced smoking by 60% and the number is climbing, the bans have successfully put an end to the smoker ranks by two-fifths. People can appreciate the smoking bans because they know that they are no longer victims of someone else’s cigarette smoke which is what no one wants.

Works Cited

Riffkin, Rebecca. "Americans Favor Ban on Smoking in Public, but Not Total Ban." Gallup. 30 July 2014. Web. 7 Jan. 2015. <http://www.gallup.com/poll/174203/americans-favor-ban-smoking-public-not-total-ban.aspx>.
Clune, Sarah. "The Real Reason Behind Public Smoking Bans." PBS Newshour. 8 July 2013. Web. 7 Jan. 2015. <http://www.pbs.org/newshour/rundown/the-real-reasons-behind-public-smoking-bans/>.
Ellis, Marie. "Total Smoking Bans Effectively Help Smokers Quit, Study Shows." Medical News Today. 19 Dec. 2013. Web. 7 Jan. 2015. <http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/270463.php>.
Saint Louis, Catherine. "Quick Gains After a Smoking Ban." Well. 31 Mar. 2014. Web. 7 Jan. 2015. <http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/03/31/quick-gains-after-a-ban/?_r=0>.
Arnett, George, and Glen Moutrie. "Banning Smoking in Public Places Will Not Do Much Harm." The Guardian. 14 Oct. 2014. Web. 7 Jan. 2015. <http://www.theguardian.com/news/datablog/2014/oct/15/banning-smoking-public-places-not-do-much-harm>.