Should Smoking be Banned in Public Places

Looking at the health hazards, including lung cancer, impotency, asthma and heart disease, which smoking can cause, banning it in public places is long time due. However, this is just one of the viewpoints. Most smokers and many restaurant owners will sing an altogether different tune with regards to banning smoking in public places. So, let's get to the bottom of this debate by looking at its pros and cons.

Arguments For...
Let's start with the advantages of banning smoking in public places. The number one being that it will not only help in saving smokers from various kinds of health conditions and diseases, but will also be beneficial for passive smokers. Whether the smoker is using public transport or is in a restaurant, the people around him are bound to inhale the smoke coming out of his cigarette, thus making them prone to all the diseases an active smoker gets. Thus, if smoking is banned, spread of these diseases can be checked.

Another argument is that it will put pressure on the smoker to quit. Since, he will be unable to smoke in public places, he will learn how to live without smoking a cigarette for long hours. Moreover, when a smoker does not see anybody around him smoking or smelling of cigarette, it might reduce his urge to smoke too. Thus, one of its major advantages is that it forces people to quit smoking.

One of the smoking in public places facts is that it influences non-smokers to take up smoking, especially adolescents. Since teens are in an impressionable age, when they see people around them smoking, they get instigated to try it and then it becomes a habit, increasing the incidence of teen smoking. Moreover, asthma and ear infections are commonly seen in children who live around smokers, so if it is banned in public places, these places will become safe for children and teens, health-wise.

Looking from the economic point of view, since smoking is a major contributing factor to many diseases, it leads to absenteeism from work. Moreover, employees smoke tend to take breaks now and then to smoke, thus lowering the number of hours they put in their work. So, if employers want to increase work productivity and want to make sure that their employees remain healthy, they should ban and stop smoking in and around office premises.

If you see from the environment point of view, yes it should be. Smoking cigarettes adds to the air pollution, so if it's banned, it will help in saving the environment from further deterioration.

Arguments Against...
Smoking is a personal choice of an individual. If the government forces people to quit smoking, it is encroaching on individual freedom. Secondly, banning smoking is actually a financial loss for the government as it collects a lot of revenue through the taxes on cigarette sales.

Another argument is that it is human tendency to do exactly those things which are forbidden. So, if smoking is banned in public places, adults and teens are more likely to smoke and find their own means to evade this law to continue with the habit.

From the economic point of view, restaurant, pub and cafe owners will not be able to cater to everyone. This will reduce their sales, thus causing them losses. Places where smoking is banned might see a reduction in tourist arrivals as well. Lastly, when smokers who are habitual and addicted, may experience smoking withdrawal symptoms such as irritability, anger, etc, if they cannot smoke immediately. Thus, in this condition and under stress, they might pose a problem to others.

In spite of the above arguments against the ban, looking at the harmful effects of smoking, it would be better if it is. However, for such a ban to be useful, the key lies in implementing it effectively.