Smoking New Laws and How They Changed America - Research Paper Example

? Smoking: The New Laws and How They Changed America Cheri Davis of institute) Table of Contents Introduction……………………………………………………………………………………..I Smoking Laws Today…………………………………………………………………………...II Why There Are Smoking Laws………………………………………………………………..III Smoking Banned In Some States…………………………………………...............................IV A Smokers Take On The Laws…………………………………………………………………V Other Ways To Prevent Smoking……………………………………………………………..VI Unfair Hiring Practices……………………………………………………………………….VII Protecting Children From The Affects Of Smoking……………………….........................VIII Third Hand Smoke……………………………………………………………………………..IX Why People Cannot Quit………………………………………………………………………..X Conclusion………………………………………………………………………………………XI Smoking I. The Twentieth Century’s Take On Smoking Despite all the research that has been done on smoking, millions of Americans still use this form of tobacco. In fact, 45.3 million adults, ages eighteen and over, still smoke in the United States. That is 19.3 percent of the adult population (Center for Disease Control, 2011). Tobacco use has been popular for many decades, but in the past, Americans did not know any better. This report will focus on the changes America has made with their smoking laws, and will show the differences it has made in the United States. II. Smoking Laws Today When smoking was first introduced, it became the way of life. Not only was it okay to smoke in your car, it was also allowed in restaurants, shopping malls, and hospitals. If you felt the need to smoke, you did not have to wait until you got outside and ten feet away from the entrance. Nowadays, though, it is against the law to smoke in most buildings and even numerous national parks. If you do smoke in your car, you might be frowned upon, especially if there are children present. Currently, twenty five states and Washington D.C. are completely smoke-free, which includes restaurants, bars, and parks (Center for Disease Control, 2011). III. Why There Are Smoking Laws The reason there is such a push for smoke-free states is because of the harmful effects of secondhand smoke. Inhaling secondhand smoke is similar to smoking a cigarette, for it can cause just as many problems. Individuals can develop cancer and lung problems that tobacco causes without smoking one cigarette. Because this research was not available a few decades ago, smoking inside a building was not given a second thought. As research progressed, however, smoking laws started to take effect. Not soon enough, unfortunately, because many Americans have become the victims of secondhand smoke. When smoking laws were put into place, the smokers of America were enraged that public smoking was becoming taboo. While a few cigarette users understood the advantages, most felt like it was taking away their rights as Americans. All the complaining, though, did not stop the laws from progressing. According to the executive director of Americans for Nonsmoker’s Rights, Cynthia Hallett, “These smoke-free laws start at a local level. They are based on community demand, science looking at exposure to secondhand smoke and the environmental impact” (Ossad, 2011). Since secondhand smoke is believed to have caused over fifty thousand deaths in the United States, America’s people are standing up for their rights. IV. Smoking Banned Outside In Some States Smoking has also been banned outside in public properties in a few different states. New York City, for example, banned smoking at all parks and plaza’s where pedestrians are present. Over seventeen hundred parks are now smoke-free in New York City alone. Other states have banned smoking outside, including beaches. Some of these states are California, Massachusetts, and Minnesota. Not only does smoking outside produce secondhand smoke, it also makes more litter for the public works employees. Instead of using the ashtrays provided, a majority of the smokers drop their cigarette butts on the ground. This laziness encouraged non-smokers to fight even harder for a ban on smoking to keep the beaches and parks clean. Not only is it a nuisance for the workers who clean up the litter, it is also an annoyance for parents of young children. As curious children do, they pick up things they see on the ground, including cigarette butts. Some kids take it one step further and pretend to smoke the cigarette. Even if parents do not smoke, children learn it from other places. Television, advertisements, and smoking relatives can unintentionally show kids the process of smoking. Most adults would not want to necessarily teach children how to smoke, but kids pick up on what is going on around them. V. A Smokers Take On The Laws Have the smoking laws made a better America? While the non-smokers are pleased with the impact, the smokers feel like they are being badgered. Americans that smoke question the ethics of the new laws that are instated, especially when it pertains to smoking outside. They have wondered how scientists can truly test the amount of secondhand smoke in the air itself. Whereas smoking in a building seems unhealthy, what is the sense of banning smoking on public property? If it just was because of a litter issue, then laws should be enforced about leaving cigarette butts on the ground. Another question that smokers have is where will smoking be banned next? In their minds, smoking will not even be allowed on their own personal property. While smoking inside a home is never a good idea, is it the government’s choice to make? Even though smoking in or on personal property has not been banned yet, some Americans feel like that is the next step. With parks, beaches and even college campuses going smoke-free, how else can you move forward but with controlling personal property? It may not happen in the near future, but smokers feel like it will happen eventually. As one anonymous blogger states, “In work places? Of course. In restaurants? Sure. Smokers aren't complaining about these. Rather, they're complaining that the place they live, work, and sleep in - which already has many rules regarding smoking (from not doing it inside to only in specific places outside, etc.) - is becoming unnecessarily strict” (Harvard Crimson, 2012). VI. Other Methods To Prevent Smoking Implementing smoking laws may help Americans quit, but there are other ways to go about it. Taxing cigarettes has been done before, but it is one alternative in trying to prevent smoking. With increased tax, smokers may complain heavily about the cost, but it is their choice whether to buy cigarettes or not. The government might be controlling the tax, but they are not controlling the people’s property. Smokers might feel like they have more choice in the matter, which in turn might make them more willing to rethink their actions. In a general sense, Americans are stubborn and obstinate, especially when it comes to following laws. If you increase the tax on cigarettes, they will stew about the cost, but will most likely decrease the amount of cigarettes they smoke. Another advantage to taxing cigarettes is to cut down on the amount of ‘social smokers.’ These individuals label themselves as social smokers because they smoke only with other people. They enjoy a cigarette or two with friends and acquaintances. The social smoking network might decrease with the tax on cigarettes. People who do it only on occasion might not see the benefit of paying eight or more dollars for a pack of smokes. If they are out with friends who smoke, they can just “bum” one off their friends. Even so, many bars and restaurants do not allow smoking in their place of business, so they would have to find an area to smoke in. It might not be worth the trouble, especially if they have to pay a hefty price. VII. Unfair Hiring Practices? Because laws have been made about smoking across the United States, it seems other changes have rebounded from these laws. Smoking in the workplace, for example, is definitely not okay. However, fair hiring practices may have shifted due to the ban on smoking. To explain further, smoking is considered taboo in most of the country. It is not allowed inside nor outside in twenty five different states. A company that is looking to hire will think twice before hiring a smoker. In many places, smoking is not allowed outside the workplace, which would cause problems for an employee who smokes. In this situation, companies need to remember that in every job, glamorous or not, there are breaks. These breaks can be taken however the employee chooses, with a few minor exceptions. A person that smokes can go to their car, for instance, if they feel the need to smoke. Just because smoking is not allowed inside or out does not mean that a cigarette user cannot do his or her job properly. If you are a smoker and are trying to get a job, be fair warned that you may run into problems getting hired. Although there are laws that prevent unfair hiring practices, biased hiring still occurs occasionally. VIII. Protecting Children From The Effects Of Smoking One of the main reasons for the smoke-free laws is to prevent today’s children from secondhand smoke. Since scientists now know the problems secondhand smoke can cause, it is only common sense to prevent the children from the affects. Whether smokers have kids or not, whenever they light up around any children, it can cause them to breathe in the carcinogens from the smoke. Smoking in a moving vehicle with the window down still produces secondhand smoke. When there are kids in the car, they cannot escape from the chemicals that are entering the back of the vehicle. With the known research available, smokers should think before they smoke in the presence of children. IX. Third Hand Smoke Secondhand smoke can also stick around long after the cigarette butt is put out. The smell stays on the clothes, furniture, and inside the car. It is proven that furniture in a house that is smoked in has the dangerous carcinogens and chemicals that secondhand smoke has. According to Dr. Jonathan P. Winickoff, an author of New York Times and a professor of pediatrics at Mass General Hospital, “…the toxic chemical residue of cigarettes that clings to one’s hair and clothing and to carpets and upholstery, even after smoke has cleared the air” (Rabin, 2010, New York Times). Winickoff coined this type of smoke that lingers on furniture and clothes “third hand smoke.” Third hand smoke is still being researched, but there is definitely evidence that it causes problems similar to secondhand smoke. With all the issues that smoking can cause, it is a wonder why people would want to do it. The person smoking is harming themselves intentionally every time they inhale. They are producing second and third hand smoke which is harming anyone that comes near them. Not only are they putting themselves in danger, but they are putting their friends, relatives and children in danger, also. X. Why Most People Cannot Quit One of the biggest draws of smoking is addiction. If someone is addicted to something, whether it is alcohol or cigarettes’, quitting cold turkey is highly unlikely. It does not matter how many laws or smoking bans the government implements, addicted individuals will still smoke. The smoking laws may prevent people from starting, which is definitely a positive effect that would be welcomed. However, the people who have been smoking for years cannot change their habits overnight. Quitting is challenging, but the individual has to want to quit. Before the smoking laws go too far, the government should consider trying to help the addicted smokers quit. Getting people to quit smoking is not an easy task. First of all, the individual has to want to quit. Second, laws cannot be implemented to force people to quit. It is only something that can be suggested, which does not do much good if the smoker does not want to. Perhaps that is one of the reasons for the smoking bans, because laws can be made and forced. Getting people frustrated because they cannot smoke anywhere might cause more problems than it is worth. XI. Conclusion Smoking laws have come a long way since the early nineties. They have definitely changed America in many ways, including smoke-free buildings and parks. Not everyone agrees with the smoking bans, because it includes the public outdoors in some states. Before getting into arguments about the smoking laws, the Americans should look at all the facts. Does putting a smoking ban on beaches take away American’s rights, or improve the beauty and quality of the beach? Does a smoke-free bar make sense when majorities of American’s smoke when they drink, or does it give relief to the non-smokers? When contemplating today’s smoking laws, consider all the angles. Whether the person is a smoker or not, base all decisions on research and facts, not on opinions. References (2011) Center for Disease Control. Retrieved on May 23, 2012 from http://www.cdc.gov/ tobacco/data_statistics/fact_sheets/adult_data/cig_smoking/index.htm (2011) Center For Disease Control. Retrieved on May 22, 2012 from http://www.cdc.gov/features/Smoke-Free Laws/ Ossad, Jordan. (May 2011). New York City Outdoor Smoking Ban Begins. Retrieved May 22, 2012 from http://articles.cnn.com/2011-05023/us/new.york.smoking.ban_1_smoking-on- public-beaches-smoking-ban-secondhand-smoke?_s=PM:US Crimson Staff. (February 2012). A Smoke Ban Too Far. Retrieved from Harvard Crimson website on May 23, 2012 from http://www.thecrimson.com/article/2012/2/29/smoking- ban-no/ Rabin, Roni. (June 22, 2011). Should Your Neighbor Be Banned From Smoking? Retrieved from New York Times website on May 23, 2012 from http://query.nytimes.com /gst/fullpage.html?res=9D0DE7DF1E3EF931A15755C0A9669D8B63&scp= 4&sq=carcinogens%20on%20furniture%20from%20smoking&st=Search Read More