Smoke Ban

Contention:

The increasing effect of smoking means that there is a need for a banning in some public places.

Issues on smoking have arisen in the media once again, so much so that now the government is debating whether or not this drug should be banned in public places. Already it is banned at the MCG and in some other public venues including hospitals, restaurants and cafes. With the effects of passive smoking becoming more evident and the annoyance of the smell and smoke of cigarettes, it is therefore becoming obvious that an advancement in banning smoking in more public places must be declared.

“The latest scientific research shows that non-smokers living with smokers have an increased risk of heart disease of about 25 per cent.” (Tobacco risks a fact, Herald Sun, 1999.) With disturbing evidence like this suggesting that illness caused by cigarettes is on the rise, there has to be regulations put into place to maintain the effects of passive smoking. “The fact is, that smoke that drifts from the end of a burning cigarette can kill.” (Tobacco risks a fact, Herald Sun, 1999.) Therefore without a banning non-smokers are threatened by these toxic ingredients that have the potential to harm them severely.

“Unlike the illegal drugs, it does not make them a menace on the roads, nor candidates for sordid death in a back alley.”" (Smokescreen hides real issue, Herald Sun, 1999.) Therefore the government should be more concerned over the impact of illegal drugs like heroin and other illicit drugs, that can encourage murder, suicide and result in road accidents. Yet with a better understanding of the effects of smoking it is clear why a regulation needs to be enforced. Recent statistics show how dreadful the impact smoking really has. “One year from today, about 18,700 Australians will be dead because of their smoking . What does a number like this mean? It’s about 25 per cent more deaths in one year than those from breast cancer, melanoma, diabetes, suicide, road accidents, leukemia, cirrosis of the liver, falls, AIDS, murder, narcotics, drowning and deaths during childbirth combined.” (Twenty years of progress up in smoke, The Age, 1998.) The failure to recognise the real problems of smoking is the real issue. A ban in all enclosed public places and other popular public venues like the MCG will decrease the amount of deaths per year and save non-smokers from the intoxication of this filthy drug.

Today’s society has a freedom of democratic choice. ” despite the fact that the health risks to smokers are well documented, tobacco is a legal substance and the individual should be free to choose” (Quit ordering us around!, Herald Sun, 1998.) Although smokers should be able to smoke whenever they like, the effects of passive smoking cannot be ignored. It is true that cigarettes are a legal substance, but the ignorance and selfishness of these smokers can cause harm to innocent non-smokers, consequently they should only be authorised to smoke in well accommodated venues to make sure other people aren’t placed with the threat of illness or even death.

” Nor is it still reasonable for a smoker to sue a tobacco company for damage done by cigarettes – the warnings have been around long enough for people to make intelligent, informed decisions.” (Smokescreen hides real issue, Herald Sun, 1999.) It is just the same with driving, there are regulations and speed limits for driving, and yet hundreds of people die each year on Australian roads. However there is nothing banning people from driving cars. Smoking is a completely different issue because it effects not only the people who use cigarettes but also those who don’t because of the inhalation of its smoke. It is a self inflicted epidemic that ” costs the community an estimated $12.7 billion a year in hospital bed days and lost productivity.” (Anti-smoking fight falters, The Age, 1998.) A ban on smoking would surely reduce illnesses and save the community millions of dollars per year.

Smoking is a habit that irritates a lot of people because of the harsh smell and the annoyance of the smoke. The inhalation of the toxic ingredients makes it a threat to both smokers and non-smokers. “Too many young people, perhaps unable or unwilling to appreciate the long-term consequences of such a fatal addiction, are being persuaded to take up smoking” (Anti-smoking fight falters, The Age, 1998.) Smoking is a risk which threatens nearly all people in the world, and evidence proves that many die a lingering and painful death from cancer and other side effects of tobacco related diseases, yet even with these distressing facts people are still refusing to acknowledge these concerns.

The benefits of banning smoking in some public places are obvious. It will decrease illness and death from tobacco related diseases, and will save Australia millions of dollars a year from unnesasary hospital costs. The time is right to regulate smoking in enclosed public places and other popular public venues, this will give everybody the choice on whether or not they want to deal with the consequences of this dangerous drug.

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