If tobacco smoking has serious adverse effects on both smokers and non-smokers this addiction should be banned both nationally and internationally. Any activity that citizens can participate in which seriously and recklessly endangers their own lives as well as the lives of others should be regulated against by the central authorities. For example, when there is no clear societal benefit, dangerous and reckless behavior is regulated against, such as bare knuckle fighting, or driving recklessly. Indeed, one of the main functions of a democratic country is to place certain limits and prohibitions on activities which endanger the lives of the participant as well as others.
When an activity is clearly shown to be a danger to the live and health of a person, it is the responsibility for the government to combat this activity. Thus, if smoking tobacco kills or serious endangers the lives of smokers and non-smokers, it is the duty and responsibility of the government to enact measure to ban the activity. Indeed, in terms of the responsibility of the government to act against smoking it is interesting to note that in the United States tobacco related deaths account for more than illegal drug use, alcohol, HIV, deaths from firearms and motor vehicle deaths combined (Center for Disease Control and Prevention). Indeed, if a government enacts controls on firearms and drug use to protect the public, it seems clear there should be a series of regulations completely banning the sale of tobacco protects if the link between smoking and health problems is identified.
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The serious adverse effects of smoking have been well documented by health care professionals and researchers over the last couple of decades. While there was a large lack of information regarding the dangers and adverse long term effects of smoking historically, the data supporting the serious health risk of smoking is now well documented. Indeed, as is stated on the world health organization’s online database, smoking kills up to an estimated six million people per year globally with around a further 600,000 non smokers deaths of non-smokers through inhaling second hand smoke (World Health Organization). Furthermore, tobacco smoking has been positively linked to a number of terminal illnesses such as heart disease, stroke and lung cancer (Center for Disease Control and Prevention). The further argument to support the claim that smoking tobacco has been found to adversely affect every single organ in a user’s body; as well as a primary source of non transmitted diseases. Given in the United States that the choice to smoke is still a free choice (despite the mountain of evidence that shows smoking serious affect the health on both the user and others) it seems clear that smoking needs to be banned by the central government as well as globally.
- Tobacco Fact Sheet. World Health Organization http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/f s339/en/
- Smoking and Tobacco Use: Health Effects of Cigarette Smoking. Center for Disease Control and Prevention. http://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/data_statistics/fact_sheets/ health_effects/effects_cig_smoking/
