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The Banning of Tobacco Use in Public Places
Introduction and Claim
Many countries around the world have banned smoking in public. The public places included in the ban include restaurants and other eating outlets, workplaces, hospitals, sport stadiums, theaters, schools and learning institutions, malls and convenient stories, public buses and bars and other drinking establishments among other places. Many people consume tobacco by smoking it in cigarettes and cigars. The smoking ban intends to protect the non-smokers from the harmful effects of tobacco smoke. Employees have to deal with the smoke and suffer negative health effects in places where the ban has not been implemented. Some organizations have tried to protect their employees by having separate section for smokers. However, it is not always possible to avoid exposure to tobacco smoke in areas where people are allowed to smoke. Having a total ban on tobacco use in public places will ensure that all the people are protected from dangerous effects of the smoke, as it will limit any environmental exposure.
Background
Tobacco smoke is a health hazard. Smoking has negative side effects. It affects the smokers as well as the non-smokers through environmental exposure. Health risks are more prevalent on active smokers. Smokers have increased risks of getting lung cancers as well as other respiratory diseases. They also contribute to environmental pollution because of increased smoke in the atmosphere. Cigarette smoke contains other chemicals, some of which are carcinogens. Secondary or passive smokers experience some negative health effects. This is not fair to them considering that they do not get any perceived benefits of smoking. Researchers have discovered that third hand smoke exposure has negative harmful health risks. This includes the residual pollutants from tobacco use, which remains in different surfaces and dust particles after smoking. Third hand smoke affects lung development (Rehan, Sakurai and Torday L1-L8). Implementing a ban on tobacco use will reduce smoking. This will in turn lead to a decrease in environmental pollution as well as a reduction in some health problems.
Body
The main reason for banning smoking in public is to reduce the negative health impacts associated with the tobacco smoke. Many people consume tobacco in the form of cigarettes, which contain other harmful and addictive chemicals. Once these pollutants enter the atmosphere, they affect the smokers as well as those who are not exposed to the smoke. A ban on smoking will ensure a reduction in such exposure. Research indicates that secondary smoking has harmful health effects. Exposure to the smoke leads to the occurrence of coronary heart disease, which kills approximately 35000 non-smokers each year (Juster et al 2036). People who smoke and those who are exposed to tobacco smoke have higher chances of getting acute myocardial infarction and cardiovascular diseases. Exposure to secondary smoking increases the risk of lung cancer, respiratory diseases, and coronary artery diseases (Cesaroni et al. 1184)
Studies conducted by Juster et al (2036) show that smoking ban led to a decrease in hospital admissions for AMI. Further research shows the reduction of pollution in indoor public places after smoking ban and a decrease in acute coronary events among the adult population (Cesaroni et al. 1186). People with preexisting medical conditions affecting the respiratory system have a hard time controlling their conditions when they are exposed to environmental smoking. Passive smokers also have low quality of life and more hospital admissions. Tobacco use has negative side effects on unborn babies. Non-smoking pregnant women who are exposed to environmental smoke give birth to children with low weight and smaller head circumferences. They also have higher chances of having stillbirths. Pregnant women smokers develop complications, which include spontaneous abortions and miscarriages, restricted growth of the child and placental abruption, preterm births, stillbirths. Their children develop complications such as attention-deficit hyperactivity disorders and asthma when they grow up (Crane et al. 867).
Some people are against banning tobacco use in public places. They claim that such bans have negative economic impact because of the reduction in sale of tobacco products. They add that ban on tobacco use will lead to some businesses establishments, especially bars and restaurants, closing since people will avoid them. However, this is not the case. A ban on smoking will affect all establishments. People will not avoid going to the bar or to the restaurants because they cannot smoke. Many people do not consider smoking as the main attraction when going to bars and restaurants. They visit such places for other purposes such as eating and drinking or socializing and enjoying other people’s company. Since the ban affects all public institutions, people will not have any other option, other than to comply with the rules. Therefore, no single business entity will have to lose its revenue or shut down because of the smoking ban (Kelly 570).
Conclusion
A ban on tobacco use will protect people’s health. It will lead to reduced exposure to environmental smoking, which has harmful health risks on non-smokers. Contrary to what some people think, public ban on tobacco use will not lead to closure of some business establishments such as bars and pubs. People will continue visiting such places for other reasons. In addition, the ban receives support from different people, including smokers, who perceive that it will help them to quit smoking.
Works Cited:
Cesaroni, Giulia et al. “Effect of the Italian Smoking Ban on Population Rates of Acute Coronary Events.” Circulation 117.9 (2008): 1183-1188
Crane, J. Keough et al. “Effects of Environmental Tobacco Smoke on Perinatal Outcomes: a Retrospective Cohort Study.” BJOG: An International Journal of Obstetrics & Gynaecology 118.7 (2011): 865-871
Juster, R Harlan et al. “Declines in Hospital Admissions for Acute Myocardial Infarction in New York State after Implementation of a Comprehensive Smoking Ban.” American Journal of Public Health 97.11 (2007): 2035-2039
Kelly C. Brian. “Smoke-Free Air Policy: Subcultural Shifts and Secondary Health Effects among Club-going Young Adults.” Sociology of Health & Illness 31.4 (2009): 569-582
Rehan, K.Virender, Reiko Sakurai, and John S. Torday. “Thirdhand Smoke: a New Dimension to the Effects of Cigarette Smoke on the Developing Lung.” American Journal of Physiology Lung Cellular and Molecular Physiology 301.1 (2011): L1-L8