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Anthony Flores

English 5

Professor Georgie Ziff

April 27th, 2020

Arguing Both Sides 

Tobacco Products should be banned

According to TheHealthSite.com, one of the reasons that smoking tobacco products is harmful to your health is because it can lead to cancer. Not only does it cause lung cancer, but it also causes cancer of the mouth, nose, larynx (voice box), trachea, esophagus, stomach, pancreas, kidneys, bladder, cervix, bone marrow and blood. Many of the chemicals in the cigarette are known to be carcinogenic, meaning that they cause cancer. When the chemicals in the cigarette combine with heat and smoke, it leads to mutations in the body cells, making them multiply uncontrollably, causing cancer. An estimated half a million Americans die per year from the use of cigarettes which calls for a solution to be found for the problem. Smoking cigarettes not only cause cancer but also negatively affects the health well-being of the smoker. The adverse health effects of smoking include making your bones brittle, staining teeth, causes bad breath, and can potentially make you blind (Sampath).

Many adults are affected by tobacco use, but the group that is at the highest risk is the youth. E-cigs, for example, have become popular among the youth as the vape-pens and other related devices are easy to obtain. The E-cigs are marketed as cool, and they have a variety of fruity flavors that are attractive to the youth. A strawberry vape-pen, for example, sounds a lot more appealing than a pack of cigarettes. Even though this may be true, the Juul or vape device is probably worse for you because you can continuously smoke it and therefore smoke more than if it were other cigarettes. I think that these devices are misleading because it gives you the illusion that you are healthier, but in reality, you are smoking the same or even more than you would if you were smoking cigarettes. Smoking should be banned because of the health problems and additional disasters associated with it. According to History & Headlines, smokers are seven times more likely to have a house fire than non-smokers. About 1000 Americans die each year from smoking-related home fires. The NFPA says smoking causes 90,000 fires per year in the US, and that 90% of wildfires in the US are caused by smoking (History & Headlines).

Tobacco Products Shouldn’t Be Banned.

According to History & Headline, 46.6 million Americans smoke, and that does not include those who chew tobacco. The main reasons why people smoke are for social reasons, stress relief, or pleasure (Dan). The high number of smokers in the country indicates that the tobacco industry is one of the major employers for the people. The tobacco industry provides employment and a source of income from the farmers who grow tobacco to the industries that process it and the suppliers and sellers who distribute the product and the raw materials. Therefore, the government should consider the extensive negative effects that banning smoking would cause as a result of lost employment and source of living. The tobacco industry also generates significant revenue and consequently increases the tax revenue collected for public expenditure. 

According to History & Headlines, the government collected $43.9 billion in tobacco tax revenue in the year 2013, and over half a trillion dollars since 1998 (Dan). If we removed tobacco, the tobacco users would not be supplying that money anymore, meaning that it’s going to have to come from somewhere else or the government spending would be reduced. A viable alternative to banning smoking would be to educate the public about the health effects of smoking tobacco and how it could improve the smoker’s life by quitting smoking. In this way, the government would make no smoking a personal choice and facilitate the rehabilitation services for those who want to stop smoking. The government can also mandate designated smoking areas to protect the non-smokers from passive smoke and associated health risks (Dan).

Bibliography

Dan, Major. “10 Reasons Tobacco Should Be Banned Or Not Banned.” History and Headlines, 16 June 2016, www.historyandheadlines.com/10-reasons-tobacco-banned-banned/.

Sampath, Pavitra. “10 Reasons Smoking Is Bad for You.” TheHealthSite.com, Thehealthsite, 31 May 2017, www.thehealthsite.com/diseases-conditions/10-reasons-smoking-is-bad-for-you-144092/.