Deadly Butts More than ten times as many Americans have died prematurely from cigarette smoking than have died in all the wars fought by the United States during its history (“Health Effects of Cigarette Smoking”). At first, one would find this hard to believe when they think about all the wars this country has been through over the years and the fact that many people have died from something as simple as cigarettes. However, when one looks at the research and statistics, the damaging effects of smoking are not as difficult to believe anymore. It is estimated that in the United States there are currently 36.5 million adults who smoke cigarettes ("Current Cigarette Smoking among Adults in the United States."). As a result, there are millions
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Some people would say not to abolish smoking because it is their own individual choice and it only affects them. However, that is not the case. Smoking not only affects the individual, but the people around them also. This is made possible through secondhand smoke and it is triggered from people smoking cigarettes, which give off dangerous and harmful chemicals. In fact, it causes more than 41,000 deaths per year (“Health Effects of Secondhand Smoke”). In other words, smoking is killing other people all around this country and people that smoke, in a way, are taking away their right to live a healthy life, due to the harsh effects of secondhand smoke. Another argument to keep smoking is that the prohibition of smoking would be bad for the economy because of the extreme loss of jobs. It is true that many jobs would be lost. In 2015, more than 264 billion cigarettes were sold in the U.S. (“Economic Trends in Tobacco”). However, cigarettes, believe it or not, have a negative impact on the economy and jobs. Smoking-related illness in the United States costs more than $300 billion each year (“Economic Trends in Tobacco”). More than $156 billion in lost productivity, including $5.6 billion in lost productivity due to secondhand smoke exposure (“Economic Trends in Tobacco”). So, many people that smoke have to take a lot of time off work to try and treat the problems caused by smoking. In the grand scheme of things, the effects of smoking on the economy are
Some people would say not to abolish smoking because it is their own individual choice and it only affects them. However, that is not the case. Smoking not only affects the individual, but the people around them also. This is made possible through secondhand smoke and it is triggered from people smoking cigarettes, which give off dangerous and harmful chemicals. In fact, it causes more than 41,000 deaths per year (“Health Effects of Secondhand Smoke”). In other words, smoking is killing other people all around this country and people that smoke, in a way, are taking away their right to live a healthy life, due to the harsh effects of secondhand smoke. Another argument to keep smoking is that the prohibition of smoking would be bad for the economy because of the extreme loss of jobs. It is true that many jobs would be lost. In 2015, more than 264 billion cigarettes were sold in the U.S. (“Economic Trends in Tobacco”). However, cigarettes, believe it or not, have a negative impact on the economy and jobs. Smoking-related illness in the United States costs more than $300 billion each year (“Economic Trends in Tobacco”). More than $156 billion in lost productivity, including $5.6 billion in lost productivity due to secondhand smoke exposure (“Economic Trends in Tobacco”). So, many people that smoke have to take a lot of time off work to try and treat the problems caused by smoking. In the grand scheme of things, the effects of smoking on the economy are