Ban on Smoking in Public Places

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Ban on Smoking in Public Places
Tobacco smoking has been tolerated for several years. However, smoking is harmful because it causes diseases, disability, and results in death. In the US, approximately 443,000 people die from smoking or exposure to secondhand smoke (Kmietowicz 1349). Smoking in public places is a major concern for many people because it causes environment pollution besides exposing the public to the health complications associated with it. It affects non-smokers increasing their chances of developing serious illness caused by inhaling the smoke. Many medical experts insist that stricter regulations for smoking in public places must be put in place to safeguard the welfare especially of the non-smokers, rather than banning smoking entirely. Others seconding such views argue that individuals who feel uncomfortable around smokers have the freewill to choose whether to stay or walk away, to avoid inhaling the smoke, insisting that banning smoking in public places may damage the economy (Kmietowicz 1349). Despite the contradicting arguments pertaining to the issue, the government ought to come up with the best approach to tackle the banning on smoking in public places in a way that would ensure the greater good for the society.
It is true that smoking is harmful to everyone as it affects both the smokers and non-smokers. According to the Office of Smoking and Health at the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 45.3 million Americans smoke cigarettes (Schwenk 165). Annually, a total of 443,000 people die from smoking or exposure to secondhand smoke. In addition, close to 8.6 million people live with serious illnesses caused by the cigarette smoke. These are some of the facts that justifies why smoking in public places should be banned. In most cases, active smokers affect the person around them as they inhale the smoke, making them passive smokers. In the long-run, both of them are affected (Schwenk 165). Banning smoking in public places is justified because people interact in public places like offices, buses, and other social gathering comprised of both smokers and non-smokers. Indeed, the non-smokers are likely to suffer if public smoking is not banned.
Conversely, everyone is entitled to express himself; the opposers of the ban on smoking in public places argue that smoking in the public is similar to a situation where people choose to engage in certain activities to spend their free time, meaning that smoking in public should be tolerated. This is demonstrated in certain situations like employment, which force the non-smokers to deal with the uncomfortable working environment. For instance, the bartenders who are non-smokers are forced to breathe harmful chemical from customers who smoke. However, the advocates of the ban on smoking in public places believe that even though the bartender can find work elsewhere, with the limited employment opportunities in the current world, such a bartender has few options and their situation should be respected. Furthermore, several research findings illustrate that second-hand smoke increases the risk of a heart attack by 30%, therefore, banning smoking in public places should be highly considered (Meyers, Neuberger, & He 125...