Should Cigarette Smoking be Banned?

You know what's the most amazing thing about a smoker? He knows that it is terribly hazardous for him, yet he continues to kill himself slowly, simply because he cannot bear to remain without the puff of a drug that he's become a slave to. If that sounds too harsh to smokers, then they are in dire need of a reality check. Wait, don't they already have the reality staring them right in the eye every time they pick up their pack of cigarettes to smoke? And if that is not enough, there is no shortage of advertisements, essays, news reports, etc., that show the awful effects that can render the smoker severely diseased, or worse kill him. So in case someone wonders if cigarette smoking be banned, then the only logical answer that pops into mind is YES! Why so? Let's delve into that in the sections below.

Why Should Cigarette Smoking be Banned

Whenever you talk about banning smoking, you'll see that the pros comfortably outnumber the cons. Never will you have more cons than pros. That in itself, if common sense prevails, is reason enough to argue for banning smoking in public places or banning it altogether. Some of these advantages are listed below. You may or may not agree with them. They are a matter of personal choice. The arguments given below are on the basis of popular opinion and also certain personal experiences.

Health
Have a look at some statistics regarding smoking and deaths caused by it.

Smoking Statistics

443,000 people die every year due to smoking. 49,400 people die due to secondhand smoke. A person who smokes is likely to die (on an average) 14 years earlier than those who don't.

*As per the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

The first argument for the implementation and regulation of a smoking ban is very obviously, health related. No one who smokes is unaware of the various ill effects that it has. The number of chemicals that are present in one single cigarette is mind-boggling. And regular smoking can lead to severe health conditions like oral cancer, lung cancer, etc. Why someone would want themselves to go through such an ordeal is beyond most people. While smokers may argue that it is an addiction, what they cannot answer is that: is this addiction stronger than the value of their lives? The more they smoke, the more susceptible they become to adverse health conditions. So, there's no real motive for people to want them to stop smoking, in private or in public, but for their own better health.

Money
Why quit smoking? Well, let's see. One of the best reasons for the implementation of a smoking ban is that it will help the people save a lot of money for better use. If people are not allowed to smoke, they gradually reduce the number of cigarettes that they smoke when they are out. It is a very obvious fact that people tend to smoke more when in a group. So, if they cannot smoke when together outside, the number of cigarettes smoked by them comes down by default. All the money that they save over time, can be used for something much more important and useful like paying off a loan or saving for a child's education. After all, isn't the betterment of our society by way of educating the future generations and being financially sound and debt-free something that everyone wants? Seems ridiculous? Try it for some time, you'll be surprised at the amount of money you'll save given the increasing cost of cigarettes!

Responsibility
This may be the most overused argument for people to stop smoking in the presence of other people: the passive smoking effect. It's not like they don't know that they are putting others' health and lives in danger, they do it in spite of it. Smoking around people has an effect on their health as well. Sometimes, these conditions can get even worse than those of the smokers themselves. Where's the justice in that? People who smoke get affected, and people around them, because of them, get affected too. It's high time smokers realized their intentional ignorance and took some responsibility. If not for themselves, at least for those around them. If they argue about their 'rights' being infringed upon by banning smoking, what about the rights of those getting affected by their incessant puffing? Are they not entitled to clean fresh air to breathe. The clean, fresh air that smokers make it so difficult to maintain?

Influence
Advertently or inadvertently, smokers do tend to influence those around them. Whether it is a teenager who's just entered high school, or a young child watching his father smoking at home or even a working professional who is trying to fit in with his colleagues; it is very easy to get influenced by someone who is seen smoking, especially when the smoker gives it so much importance and glorifies it like it is the best thing to do. This definitely has an impact on what the person thinks about smoking, and it more often than not, leads people to begin smoking. If smokers argue that it is up to the people to make their own decisions and that they shouldn't smoke if they don't want to, then they are very highly underestimating the power of peer pressure.

Claiming smoking withdrawal symptoms is just an excuse that smokers take refuge in. What they do not realize is that they have the power to control, and eventually stop the terrible habit that has affected and continues to affect millions across the globe. They can make it a better, cleaner and safer place to live for their own future generations? Therefore, YES, cigarette smoking should be banned in public places.