Cigarettes should be banned

I believe that cigarette smoking should be banned. Cigarettes do not contribute anything positive to individuals or society as a whole. Instead cigarettes are harmful on many levels, as I will show.

First, cigarettes cause numerous serious illnesses. Smokers have an increased risk of developing some cancers, diabetes, heart problems and asthma, to list just a few. These sick people impact on their families, and on the economy that covers their health-care costs. Governments should ban substances that are so harmful.

Another reason to ban smoking is that medical evidence proves that second-hand smoke affects non-smokers. This applies particularly to children of smokers, but also to others. Individuals do not have the right to harm others through their own consumption of tobacco.

Thirdly, cigarettes harm the environment. Cigarette smoke contributes to air pollution. Cigarette ends land up in dumps or are tossed away as litter. They contain chemicals, and do not decompose easily. Discarded cigarettes have also been known to cause wildfires.

Some people will argue that smokers should have the right to choose for themselves. However, non-smokers do not choose to inhale harmful second-hand smoke. Smokers in fact often become addicted, so they are not able to choose to smoke or to give up. Governments do not allow drivers to choose to speed for pleasure, as this would harm others. The same logic should apply to smoking.

So, for the benefit of both smokers and non-smokers, smoking should be banned. This would be the action of a caring, pro-active government.