Legal Limitations to Tobacco Use - Essay Example

And although this ban will probably help to reduce the major effects of smoking, it has hampered economic development. Many bars and restaurants have closed since the ban, and tobacco sales have always been a major part of the midwest. The mid-west has been known as a smoker's haven, and I've noticed that ever since the smoking ban, there remain many tobacco shops all around that have good business. But the owners often complain, and a friend of mine who works at Applebee's tells me that the number of regulars and patrons has reduced noticeably.

However, there are positive effects. I have noticed that I breathe more easily. I've been a secondhand smoker nearly my entire life, and it is rather nice that I can go to many pool halls without coming home smelling smoke. Official statistics of changes from the ban haven't been gathered yet since the ban is so young, but many health officials predict that it should have a significant effect on the health of the community.

However, who can know until the studies are done? It will take some time to find out for sure, and by then the smokers may have accomplished repealing the ban. Talk of many groups developing to list the ban is spreading around. And, it has always been a tradition to have tobacco and tobacco products here in the Twin Cities.

City Rank Minneapolis - A document containing many statistics and percentages about health relations, and in this reference, was used to show how Minneapolis ranks in the top 50% overall for health issues.

City Rank Minneapolis - A section on heart disease was referenced, and I pulled the statistic about how Detroit ranks number one for heart disease deaths and Minneapolis has one of the lowest rates.

Wikipedia, University of Minnesota System -  This document provided statistics about the demographical makeup and general history of the University of Minnesota, and how over 50,000 students are currently enrolled within it.

Ashley Logan, personal interview and conversation - Using parts of a past interview, I talked about the tobacco ban and its effects on patrons within the metro area. She commented on seeing fewer patrons around many places since they no longer allow smoking.

Boynton Health Services, U of M Tobacco Brochure - A brochure showing charts and graphs of tobacco use and its link to alcohol and drug use, also where I garnered the fact that regular U of M smokers are more than 6 times more likely to use Marijuana than non-smokers.

Capitol Roundup, Article of Prostitution in the Twin Cities - The location where I came up with my 14-year-old prostitute statistic and where I received the numbers of underage prostitutes.