Essay, Research Paper: Cigarettes

Cigarettes: What’s Killing Us
My father is addicted to cigarettes and it has been that way for years. I still remember those long winter evenings spent with my father in our living room. Him reading a newspaper and us playing around. But one think from that time I remember most, it was the unpleasant cigarettes’ smoke we had to inhale . When I was a youngster I did not realized that smoking or breathing the cigarettes’ smoke may be so dangerous. Every year cigarettes kill hundreds of thousands people, and many more will suffer from cancers, and other diseases. These horrible illnesses were known to originate from cigarettes for years, and recently nicotine, the main chemical additive in cigarettes – nicotine has a major influence for it. This explains why smokers continue to use cigarettes, even though smokers are aware of the constantly warned about health dangers in cigarettes. Although smokers constitute the majority of people who suffer from cigarettes, they are not the only ones ailing from cigarette smoke. The amount of second-hand smoke inhaled by the typical nonsmoker is equivalent to about one cigarette smoked per day. Even that amount of cigarette smoke can damage a person's heart. Also smoking by pregnant women may cause miscarriage of a baby or even death. The only way to terminate the suffering and loss of life brought upon by cigarettes exists as a complete proscription on them. Opponents to the banning of cigarettes argue that it will create a profound negative impact on the economy. They do not realize that people place the health above their financial status. Although many people continue to remain convinced that absolving our country of cigarettes does not merit some economical loss, this remains as a necessary step in eradicating our country of these virulent stiflers of life.
For years cigarettes have been known to cause cancer, and other horrible illnesses. With all the other causes of preventable deaths, alcohol, illegal drugs, AIDS, suicide, transportation accidents, fires, and guns, cigarettes still account for more preventable deaths than those do combined. We can no longer let people die because they smoke cigarettes. Thousands of smokers try to rid themselves of cigarettes but can't because of the physiological dependence they develop, made by its major additive nicotine which explains why many smokers continue to smoke despite the numerous health warnings on cigarette smoking. Although cigarettes do not offer as intense an effect as drugs like heroin and cocaine, they rank higher in the level of dependence it creates in the user. Since cigarettes fit in the array of regulated addictive drugs, they should also be regulated like those in the same array as cigarettes. Cigarette manufacturers may intend that their products contain nicotine to satisfy an addiction. Although technology to remove nicotine from cigarettes was developed years ago cigarette manufacturers shun it. Instead they control with precision the amount of nicotine in their products, ensuring that it will maintain an addiction. Nicotine engenders it almost impossible for cigarette smokers to quit smoking because of its addictive nature, and with the cigarette manufacturers manipulating the amount nicotine the only manner available remains to outlaw cigarettes.
Those who smoke run the risk of it, but why should smokers be allowed enjoy their cigarettes at the expense of those who do not? By permitting the smoking of cigarettes the United States government denies the right the fifth amendment gave its citizens. Small amounts of cigarette smoke are having greater effects on the non smoker's health. If cigarettes were outlawed not only would we be saving millions of smokers, but also thousands of nonsmokers as well. Opponents to the banning of cigarettes base their arguments on the possible negative impact that may transpire on America's economy. Such arguments include statements like ex-smokers could live longer and receive greater Social Security and Medicare payments, and that tobacco farmers would lose a large piece of their revenue. The first argument makes Americans appear to be burdens to this country, and by smoking cigarettes they make themselves less of a nuisance by killing themselves. The opponents second statement about tobacco farmers is misleading because farmers also sell their tobacco for cigars, and in addition to tobacco hundreds of varieties of other cash crops may also be planted. The benefits of outlawing cigarettes greatly outnumber the disadvantages, for example, many of us believe a link between smoking and a shortened life span exists between the two, a ban on cigarettes could increase life spans; and billions of dollars now spent on smoking related illnesses create health care savings; smoking related ailments could be reduced by outlawing cigarettes, millions of families could save money by not purchasing cigarettes; and accidental fires costing millions of dollars caused by cigarettes would cease. With almost only benefits attached to a proscription of cigarettes, the next logical step is to outlaw them.
Although a complete ban on cigarettes currently remains far from attainment, we should help to create a bill that could control cigarettes much in the same way the government now controls drugs. Which would require manufacturers to warn of the addictive nature of nicotine, restrict tobacco advertising and promotion; and control the level of nicotine cigarettes contain. As we near a complete ban on cigarettes many fights will be fought, but eventually cigarettes will be eliminated.


Word Count: 887