Should Cigarettes Be Considered As Drugs - Case Study Example

Should Cigarettes Be Considered As Drugs Should Cigarettes Be Considered As Drugs Introduction The term cigarette is used to refer to a small cylindrical shaped container that comprises of a huge number of ingredients that are rolled in a very thin paper for the purpose of smoking. An individual who smokes a cigarette tend to ignite one end of the cigarette and bristle the contents of the cigarette from the other end. Cigarettes are quite similar to drugs and carry various elements and cause various outcomes that take place as a result of drug consumption (Barceloux, 2012). Similar to cigarettes, drugs may even be smoked and may comprise of several ingredients such as nicotine, methanol and other chemicals. Drugs are those elements that have the ability to alter the cognitive as well as the physical state of an individual (Barceloux, 2012). Similarly, cigarettes even have the ability to impact the cognition as the physical state of the smoker. For many years there have been a debate regarding considering cigarettes as similar to drugs. This debate has a proponent as well as the opponent side. The proponents claim that cigarettes should be considered as drugs due to the similarity between both substances and the outcome of smoking and consuming cigarettes and drugs. The opponent side argues that both the elements are quite different from each other and cigarettes do not impact human beings in the same way as drugs. The reality is that cigarette smoking levels throughout the world including United States have quite drastically increased. Furthermore, the consequences experienced by cigarette smokers are quite similar to the consequences that are experienced by drug and substance abusers. Since cigarettes are quite similar to drugs and similar to drugs, cigarettes negatively impact the physical, psychological and the social health of the smokers it should be considered as a drug and should be rendered as an illegal product in the United States. Why Cigarettes Should Be Considered As Drugs The question of whether cigarettes should be considered as drugs can easily be answered through the similarities in the definition of both cigarettes as well as drugs and due to the similarity of the consequences that are experienced by cigarette smokers and drug abusers. The definitions of cigarettes and drugs are stated within the introductory section. The similarity between the definition of drugs as well as cigarettes is that both the substances are made of similar chemicals such nicotine which is considered as one of the most addictive drug as well as other chemicals such as carbon monoxide and ammonia (Barceloux, 2012). Furthermore the harmful effects on the social, physical and psychological health of an individual who smokes cigarettes or abuses drugs is even quite similar. A huge number of individuals are involved in the repetitive habit of smoking cigarettes each day. Center For Disease Control And Prevention have identified that around 18% of the total population of United States who are above the age of 18 are involved in the act of smoking cigarettes and this means that more than 42 million adults that are residing in the region of United States (CDC, 2015). Furthermore, cigarette smoking is even considered as the main cause of deaths in the region of United States and CDC has recorded that nearly 0.48 million individuals in America die on yearly basis due to cigarette smoking (CDC, 2015). Since cigarette smoking is quite similar in nature to drugs and is negatively impacting more than 42 million adults residing in the region of United States and is the leading cause of death in the same region, it should be treated as a drug by the government of the United States. Should Cigarettes Be Illegalized As Drugs? Cigarettes should not only be considered as a drug, the laws governing drugs in the United States should even be applied to cigarettes because cigarette smoking is as harmful as drug abuse and nearly 42 million individuals within the United States are experiencing its harmful effects. Substance abuse has been considered as an illegal act within the region of the United States because it is ruining the society of United States (CDC, 2015). Similar to drug abuse, cigarette smoking should even be considered as an illegal act and its sale and purchased should be banned throughout the United States. Cigarettes have the ability to negatively impact the psychological, social as well as physical health of the people of United States and these negative effects are experienced by both the passive and active smokers. Psychological Consequences Of Cigarette Smoking There are various mental illnesses that may be caused due to cigarette smoking and cigarette smoking can make mental conditions worse for an individual who smokes as well as suffers a mental illness. One of the mental illnesses experienced by cigarette smokers is schizophrenia. Individuals who suffer from this mental disorder indulge in various behaviors that are considered as abnormal behaviors by the society. These individuals may consider false events and ideas to be true, they may experience confusion as well as hallucinations. According to a study cited by McNeill, around 62% of the females who were experiencing schizophrenia were dependent on cigarette smoking and 78% of males suffering from schizophrenia even smoked cigarettes (McNeill, 2011). Another common disorder experienced by cigarette smokers is Bipolar Affective Disorder. An individual who suffers from this mental condition experiences longer episodes of depression and higher episodes of mania. These individuals tend to talk in an abnormally fast manner and they easily lose concentration. They indulge in unhealthy acts that provide them immense pleasure such as spending excessive money and they even indulge in making irrational decisions. McNeill has cited a study that has identified that 70% of individuals who were experiencing this disorder were indulged in the act of smoking cigarettes and 49% of these individuals were heavy smokers who smoked more than 20 cigarettes each day (McNeill, 2011). A third psychological problem that may be experienced by cigarette smokers is recognized as Depression. Individuals who experience depression tend to continuously experience a sad mental state and lack interest in indulging in social activities. McNeill states that 74% of individuals, both males and females, who were diagnosed with the mental illness of depression and were highly dependent on cigarette smoking (McNeill, 2001). The studies that McNeill has cited in the review of literature clearly indicate that individuals may experience mental disorders as a result of cigarette smoking. This means that around 42 million individuals of United States who smoke cigarette are at a higher risk of developing a mental illness or may already have developed such an illness. This means that United States need to take action and consider cigarettes as drugs and they should consider cigarette smoking as illegal in order to protect their citizens from developing mental issues. Social Consequences Of Cigarette Smoking Cigarette smoking should even be considered as an illegal act because cigarette smoking has various social consequences associated with it. There was time when cigarette smoking was considered as a normal behavior. People had high acceptability for those individuals who used to smoke and these individuals used to be considered as a part of the cool crowd as compared to those who did not smoke. With the passage of time, the perception of the society regarding cigarette smoking has altered. People no longer consider it as a normal social behavior and is rather considered as a deviant act by many social groups. Graham has conducted a study in which the researcher has cited another study that states that during the period of 1940s cigarette smoking was considered as pro-social behavior and it used to help an individual in gaining higher social acceptability (Graham, 2012). Graham cites another study that was conducted during the period of 1960s. This study reported that attitudes towards cigarette smoking have changed and now people are considering cigarette smoking as a dirty activity (Graham, 2012). In the same research Graham has cited another study that was conducted during the period of 1990s and this study stated that 50% of the population that did not smoke had a negative attitude towards smoker and did not like to contact individuals who smoke (Graham, 2012). The researches that have been cited by Graham clearly state that people no longer prefer having smokers in their social surroundings. This means that a person who smokes may experience alienation and may not be able to gain acceptance within groups of people with whom he wants to be associated with. The government of United States needs to realize that it is not only the psychological consequences of smoking due to which smoking should be made illegal. They need to accept that society considers smoking as a deviant behavior and since society is considering smoking as a deviant behavior, the government should put a ban on sale, purchase and consumption of smoking. If the government is able to ban cigarettes, they will benefit the overall society by decreasing the number of smokers. Finally, a ban will even help a smoker in quitting cigarettes and this will help in enhancing his/her social relationships. Physical Consequences Of Cigarette Smoking Other than mental issues, a cigarette smoker faces severe physical health issues and due to these issues around 0.48 million cigarette smokers in United States experience death (CDC, 2015). The problem with cigarette smoking is that it does not only cause physical health issues for the smoker, it even causes physical health issues for second hand smokers. This means 42 million population of the United States is or may not only experiencing physical health issues as a consequence of smoking, the rest of the population of United States that are secondhand smokers may even develop these physical health issues (CDC, 2015). Graham has cited several studies that provide insight regarding the health issues caused due to cigarette smoking. Graham has cited a study that states that 90% of the population is aware that smoking causes lung cancer and around 88% percent of the population accepts that secondhand smoking is injurious to the health of secondhand smokers (Graham, 2012). Graham has even cited a study that states that 90% of the population is now able to identify one or more health issues that are experienced by passive and active cigarette smokers (Graham, 2012). These statistics indicate that individuals who passively and actively smoke experience various health issues and the financial burden of providing medical treatment to these individuals is on the shoulders of the government. The government of United States should ban cigarette smoking in order to reduce the 0.48 million deaths caused due to cigarette smoking and protect people from developing deadly health issues caused due to cigarette smoking Conclusion Cigarettes should be considered as drugs by the United States government because it contains various chemicals that even exist in drugs. Due to these chemicals both cigarette smokers and drug abusers experience similar psychological, social and physical health issues. The psychological issues experienced by cigarette smokers as well as drug abusers include Depression, Schizophrenia and Bipolar Affective Disorder. The social issues that cigarette smokers face is alienation and lack of social acceptability because the society now considers cigarette smoking as a bad habit. Furthermore, various health issues are experienced by cigarette smokers including lung cancer and cigarette smoking is a cause of death amongst 0.48 million US citizens. The government of the United States should ban cigarettes as it has banned drugs in order to safeguard its citizens from the risk of developing psychological and physical health issues. It should even ban cigarette smoking to help smokers gain social acceptability and because the society considers it as a deviant act. References Barceloux, D. G. (2012). Medical toxicology of drug abuse: Synthesized chemicals and psychoactive plants. Hoboken: John Wiley & Sons. Graham, H. (January 15, 2012). Smoking, Stigma and Social Class. Journal of Social Policy, 41, 1, 83-99. < http://www.uk.sagepub.com/russell/study/Student%20Resources/Sage%20Journals/Journal%20of%20Social%20Policy-2012-%20Graham.pdf> McNeill, A. (2001). Smoking and mental health - a review of the literature. Action On Smoking And Health. Retrieved 18 March 2015, from http://ash.org.uk/files/documents/ASH_202.pdf Smoking and Tobacco Use,. (2015). CDC - Fact Sheet - Adult Cigarette Smoking in the United States - Smoking & Tobacco Use. Retrieved 17 March 2015, from http://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/data_statistics/fact_sheets/adult_data/cig_smoking/ Read More