Should Cigarette Smoking Be Banned - Essay Example

Cigarette smoking is more common among men (23.5%) than women (17.9%). Cigarette smoking is the leading cause of preventable death in the United States, accounting for approximately 443,000 deaths, or 1 of every 5 deaths, in the United States each year” (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC): Adult, 2011, p. 1). Another disturbing global fact is that “about 1.35 billion people smoke. The world population statistic in 2009 stood at 6.8 billion meaning almost 20% of the world’s population smokes” (Quit Smoking Hub, 2010).

The alarming facts should be enough for government and civic agencies to ban cigarette smoking in general. In this regard, cigarette smoking should be banned and everyone is hereby enjoined to avoid smoking. Diverse factors have been found to support the reasons why people smoke in the first place. Most researchers have identified the culprit in young children’s immaturity for trying to smoke at very young ages. Aside from curiosity, peer pressures, family problems, form of rebellion or just emulating parents or family members who smoke are reasons for starting.

The website helpwithsmoking.com revealed that “there are not many smokers about who started smoking after the age of eighteen. In fact, the majority of smokers took up the habit in their early or mid-teens. At such a young age, you don't really think about the health risks of smoking and you certainly do not realize how addictive smoking can be. As a teenager you probably think that you can try smoking a few times and then take it or leave it” (helpwithsmoking.com, 2010, pars. 1 & 2).

Unfortunately, the limitation of their immature decision to start smoking is that the addictive properties of smoking take its toll on the teenaged victims and veering away could not simply be undertaken. Smoking actually have been found to impact on the health of smokers in terms of increasing the risks to contract the following illnesses: to cancer, heart disease, and respiratory diseases (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC): Health Effects, 2011, 1). Accordingly, compared with nonsmokers, smoking is estimated to increase the risk of coronary heart disease by 2 to 4 times, stroke by 2 to 4 times, men developing lung cancer by 23 times, women developing lung cancer by 13 times, and dying from chronic obstructive lung diseases (such as chronic bronchitis and emphysema) by 12 to 13 times (CDC: Health Effects, 2011, 1).

The information hereby supports the increase in number of deaths attributed to smokers. Smoking causes death. What more could be more alarming than indicating that by smoking, one’s life is inevitably shortened? The facts presented by CDC validate this disclosure: “the adverse health effects from cigarette smoking account for an estimated 443,000 deaths, or nearly one of every five deaths, each year in the United States. More deaths are caused each year by tobacco use than by all deaths from human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), illegal drug use, alcohol use, motor vehicle injuries, suicides, and murders combined.

Smoking causes an estimated 90% of all lung cancer deaths in men and 80% of all lung cancer deaths in women.