Smoking in Public - Essay Example

Smoking in Public If there is a habit that irks me, then it should be smoking in public. Not every member of the public, including me, prescribes to this habit which according to the World Health Organization kills over 5 million people annually, a figure that could rise to 8 million by 2030. Therefore, involuntarily subjecting everyone in the public to smoke is detestable. The American Cancer Society, ACS refers to this as second hand smoke, SHS or environmental tobacco smoke, ETS. This could result from the sidestream smoke from cigarette, cigar or pipe lighted ends or mainstream from the smoke being exhaled by the smoker (Sim and McKee 42). I understand the effects of second hand smoke which have negative effects on the health of the exposed public, imparting negatively on the financial positions of families, and exposes children to bad behavior. Even though banning public smoking risks edging out restaurant and bar operators from business, it remains a viable option to curbing the problem. Second hand smoke has the potential of causing cancer. Considered as a cancer-causing agent, ACS categorizes it as a known human carcinogen. The smoke from tobacco is said to contain over 7,000 chemical compounds, 250 of which are known to be harmful and more than 69 said to cause cancer (Schneider 201). It has been specifically linked to lung cancer. Other than cancer, second hand smoke has been noted to cause other diseases. Notably, this behavior propagates heart disease. Thus, public smoking makes innocent people incur avoidable medical expenses and the associated psychological trauma having a loved one suffer from these diseases. It strains public resources that would have otherwise been used to adequately cater for other illnesses. Ultimately, it causes death of many loved ones leaving many people distraught and perhaps without any other source of income. American Cancer Society documents an estimated 3,400 deaths and another 46,000 deaths related to lung cancer and heart disease respectively resulting from the exposure of adults to second hand smoke. Who would want to be involuntarily subjected to such diseases that cause premature deaths? I consider those with the behavior of public smoking as murderers who swiftly kill innocent members of the public with their smoke. Just like murder is an acceptable behavior, public smoking is also unacceptable. Public smoking is an inhumane behavior that subjects even children to harsh environment. As people smoke in public, even children get exposed to the second hand smoke without their knowledge. ACS documents a set of many deadly diseases that could result from children being exposed to second hand smoke including leukemia and throat (pharynx), voice box (throlarynx), bladder, brain, stomach, breast and rectum cancers. Since childhood is a stage of development where humans learn by copying, these children could also acquire smoking habits, particularly public smoking tendencies. Wakefield et al. (322) observe that childhood exposure to environmental tobacco smoke increases tolerance of such children to tobacco smoke and consequently sensitize such children to adopt active smoking in their teenage by reducing first cigarette noxious deterrence. Such children grow up to be established smokers in their teenage and adulthood. With the World Health Organization, the global leader in health matters, acknowledging the devastating economic costs of smoking, public smoking therefore condemns such children to a future of a devastated financial life. It could also lead to acquisition of secondary antisocial behaviors such as theft. Therefore, public smoking is an antisocial behavior that imparts antisocial behavior on children. It risks the life of the future generation, not only literally, but also behaviorally. With all these negative effects of public smoking, banning the behavior would be beneficial to the society in general. It would propagate the perception of social unacceptability an inconvenience of public smoking which would go a long way in curbing smoking in the greater population (Schneider 256). A research study to this effect by US research scientists, Wakefield et al. indicate that banning public smoking has a protective effective on teenagers against smoking (330). Similar findings have been documented in a research study by pediatricians from Harvard Medical School Winickoff, Gottlieb, and Mello who advocate for no-smoking policies in public housings (2322). This confirms the reason why schools are declared no-smoking zones. Proponents of public smoking argue on loss of business with a ban on public smoking. Schneider (68) acknowledges that such a ban would cause restaurant and bar owners to lose business. Banning public smoking would discourage these customers from visiting these restaurants and bars as they seek for other alternative places where their habit could be accommodated. This way, they lose business. Nonetheless, Associated Press observes that the perceived loss would be minimal, ranging between 3% and 4%, as was the case in New York. Thus, the perceived loss of business is too minimal compared to the health benefits that would result. The ban should therefore be adopted as a remedial measure. Public smoking is a behavior that involuntarily exposes the public to smoke, opening them to a myriad of associated diseases which jeopardizes their health, innocent families having to bear the cost implications, and shortens their lifespan. It negatively imparts on the behavior of children, causing them to grow into established smokers. Banning public smoking would provide the needed solution. However, arguments arise with regards to the negative impact this would have on restaurant and bar businesses. Even so, the resultant health benefits outweigh the business losses and the ban should therefore be enforced. With its many negative effects, public smoking remains a habit that I detest. Works Cited American Cancer Society. Second Hand Smoke. 17 Jan. 2013. Web. 26 Nov. 2013. Associated Press. New York Smoking Ban Has Changed Much in 10 Years. The Wall Street Journal, 21 Jul. 2013. Web. 29 Nov. 2013. Schneider, M. Introduction to Public Health. 3rd ed. Sudbury, MA: Jones & Bartlett. Sim, F. and M. McKee, eds. Issues in Public Health. 2nd ed. England: Open UP, 2011. Taylor, D. H. et al. Benefits of Smoking Cessation for Longevity. American Journal of Public Health, 92.6 (2002): 990-996. Wakefield, M. A. et al. Effect of Restrictions on Smoking at Home, at School, and in Public Places on Teenage Smoking: Cross Sectional Study. BMJ, (2000): 321 – 333. Web. 26 Nov. 2013. Winickoff, J. P., J. D. Mark Gottlieb, and M. M. Mello. Regulation of Smoking in Public Housing. The New England Journal of Medicine, 362 (2010): 2319 – 2325. World Health Organization. (2013). Tobacco Free Initiative: Why Tobacco is a Public Health Priority. 2013. Web. 26 Nov. 2013. Read More