Banning Smoking In Public Places
People should not be given the privilege to smoke in public places. I have the right to walk down the street or sit in a restaurant and not be a victim of second hand smoke. The 2006 report of the U.S. Surgeon General noted that the only way to protect non-smokers from the dangerous chemicals in second-hand smoke is to eliminate smoking indoors. Thus, smoking in common areas has become a sensitive and large issue when dealing with personal rights, but of course it also affects everybody’s quality of life.
Most smokers will say that it’s their choice to smoke. This may be true, but what if that smoker is a pregnant woman? What if that smoker chooses to sit in a room filled with small children or infants and inflicts her choice on them? That smoker has taken it upon his or her self to endanger my health directly. He or she has basically made the decision to put my health at risk to fulfill their addiction. Not only does secondhand smoke affect my health, it’s also a nuisance. Research has shown that secondhand smoke can get into hair, clothing, and other surfaces.
Secondhand smoke is classified as a “known human carcinogen” by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the US National Toxicology Program, and the International Agency of Research on Cancer (IARC). The carcinogens found in second hand smoke are often found in higher concentration levels than in main stream smoke. The current Surgeon General’s Report states that short exposure to secondhand smoke can cause blood platelets to become stickier, damage the lining of blood vessels, decrease coronary flow velocity reserves, and reduce heart rate variably. All these things potentially increase the risk of a heart attack. The negative effects of smoking outweigh the positive effects of smoking, yet people still do it. Medical science has proven, without a doubt, smoking kills.
Before a person starts smoking, he or she has a choice. However, once...