Should cigarette smoking be banned - Essay Example

More than 18% of US adults smoke cigarettes, translating to approximately 42 million people and the number could be higher if underage smokers are put into consideration (Ostermann 35). Cigarette smoking is legal in the US, notwithstanding the fact that it is one of the leading causes of preventable deaths. This paper is a critical evaluation on why cigarette smoking should be banned. Cigarette smoking should be banned because it is harmful for the smoker’s health as well as that of those close to them.

Cigarettes contain approximately 4000 harmful chemicals, some of which are carcinogens, meaning they can lead to development of cancer in smokers. Statistics indicate that more than 400000 people, in US, lose their lives every year due to smoking related illnesses, including cancer (Chen 44). When one inhales smoke from a burning cigarette, it gets into the lungs where chemicals are absorbed and distributed to other parts of the human body. The chemicals damage the DNA structures in different organs leading to abnormal cell growth and multiplication, which over time develop into cancer.

Lung cancer is the leading consequence of cigarette smoking, followed by others such as; mouth cancer, kidney cancer and larynx cancer among others. Research shows that deaths arising from smoking related complications are far much higher than those resulting from abuse of alcohol, road accidents and illegal substances, such as cocaine and heroin, as well as HIV/AIDS (Ostermann 68). Apart from cancer, studies show that regular smoking results to the depositing of chemicals in the blood vessels, which lead to blockage and interference in the blood flow.

This means that the supply of oxygen to the brain, lower limbs as well as other important organs is inhibited. Consequently, the person suffers conditions such as dementia, impotence, high blood pressure, deterioration of the heart among others, which reduce the quality of life for the person involved. If a person