Outline Assessment
Academic Paper Topic:
”SHOULD SMOKING BE ILLEGAL?”
(UHLB2122-14)
Lecturer’s name: Madam Shalini Srika A/P Bala
Date of submission: 16/01/22
Group Members:
AbdulRaffi Balindong
A19EA4008
Alva Ami Lenya
A19EA4009
Anas Ahmed Abdelbagi
A19EA3003
Abdulmajeed Bukas Ahmad Idris
A19EA4005
Topic: SHOULD SMOKING BE ILLEGAL?
I.
INTRODUCTION
Smoking has been around for far longer than one can date back to. Throughout history,
various forms of smoking have been practiced. As early as 5000 BC, tobacco and
hallucinogenic drugs were smoked by shamans in Peruvian and Ecuadorian Andes in
shamanic rituals (Wilbert, n.d). Tobacco smoking was previously a practice of American
Indians, but it was introduced to Europe by Christopher Columbus and others (Rose et.al,
2021).
The act of smoking involves the inhalation and exhalation of smoke produced by
burning plants. In addition to marijuana and hashish, many different plant materials are
smoked, but tobacco is the most common type of smoked material (Rose et al., 2021).
At the beginning of the 21st century, tobacco had become recognized as a highly
addictive substance and one of the most devastating causes of death and disease (Rose et.al,
2021). Smoking became addictive due to nicotine dependence wherein when nicotine
reaches the brain, it increases the release of brain chemicals called neurotransmitters, which
help regulate moods and behaviors. Smoking produces a temporary but pleasurable effect
on the user, enticing the individual to continue smoking. In other words, the more one
smokes, the more satisfied one feels.
Moreover, the fact that smoking is highly addictive, smoking is also undeniably a
dangerous activity that serves as a threat to an individual’s life. As smoking provides
satisfactory sensation, it also causes detrimental effects on the health of an individual.
According to World Health Organization (2021), tobacco kills more than 8 million people
each year. Approximately 1.2 million of those deaths are related to second-hand smoke,
while 7.6 million results from direct tobacco use.
Despite this, tobacco and cigarette manufacturing are some of the top sources of income
in some countries. In such countries, tobacco production plays an important role in boosting
the economy. Most countries, however, rely relatively little on tobacco farming for
employment, and tobacco manufacturing accounts for well less than 1% of their full-time
employment in most countries (World Bank, 1999). The tobacco industry contributes more
than 10% of the total government revenue in some countries. Most tobacco taxes, however,
account for just a small percentage of total government revenue (Chapman S, Wong WL,
1990). This implies that in the event that if smoking was to be banned, tobacco corporations,
which operate on a multibillion-dollar scale, will suffer great losses if smoking is banned.
In addition to these, millions of people will lose their jobs as a result of the ban.
Nonetheless, cigarette smoking has both its benefits and disadvantages. Even though
smoking is one of the leading causes of death in the world, it is also one of the main revenue
sources for countries that greatly contributes to their economies.
II. SUPPORTING POINTS
Smoking has been proven to have terrible effects on one's health. Smoking
cigarettes has been shown beyond doubt to cause numerous diseases that affect most of the
organs in the body. Cigarettes have been recognized as the cause of health problems since
the early 1940s and 50s. Cigarettes have a chemical known as nicotine. This is a chemical
that releases a chemical in your brain known as dopamine. Nicotine is a highly addictive
chemical due to how it affects the brain. Dopamine not only makes smokers feel more
relaxed but also makes them feel happier as well as boosts concentration and energy levels.
This feeling, however, is temporary. Due to this factor, smokers seek to smoke more and
more in order to maintain a high level of dopamine in their brains. This, therefore, causes
addiction. Due to the continuous intake of smoke from cigarettes in order to maintain
dopamine levels, more and more chemicals are being ingested into the body. These
chemicals include nicotine, tar, carbon monoxide, ammonia, formaldehyde, small particles,
phenols, and cancer-causing chemicals. Nicotine affects the heart by causing vein and
artery constriction and therefore overworking it. Tar produces a coat on the lungs of the
individual and therefore causes difficulty in breathing. In addition, carbon monoxide
depletes the amount of oxygen in the body and therefore makes it difficult for the heart to
function properly. Furthermore, ammonia, small particles, as well as formaldehyde causes
irritation in the nose, throat, and lungs. Moreover, the Phenols cause an increased risk of
getting infections along the airway. Finally, the cancer-causing chemicals are selfexplanatory. Overall, people who smoke die an average of about ten years earlier than
people who never smoked before. Approximately 80% of lung cancers, as well as lung
cancer deaths, are caused by smoking.
Likewise, secondhand smoke also has negative effects on one’s health and
wellbeing. The Office on Smoking and Health (US) (2006) has defined secondhand smoke
as “the combination of smoke from the burning end of a cigarette and the smoke breathed
out by smokers. Secondhand smoke contains more than 7,000 chemicals. Hundreds are
toxic and about 70 can cause cancer.” Non-smokers can be susceptible to inhaling
secondhand smoke in public areas such as schools, parks, public transportation, restaurants
etc. And they could even be exposed to it at home when family members smoke according
to Naeem Z, (2015). Inhalation of secondhand smoke does not exempt people from the
toxins and what is even more harmful because it is unfiltered is the side stream smoke that
comes from the ends of cigarettes, cigars or pipes. “It has more harmful toxins than
mainstream smoke that someone breathes out.” Cleveland Clinic, 2020).
According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (2015), lung
cancer in adults who have never smoked is caused due to secondhand smoke. A risk of
developing lung cancer by 20–30% arises when nonsmokers are exposed at home or at
work. In addition to that it was reported that secondhand smoke causes more than 7,300
lung cancer deaths amongst American nonsmokers annually. Even momentary exposure to
secondhand smoke may possibly end up damaging cells in ways that set the cancer process
in motion. As with active smoking, the more that time goes by and exposure increases due
to secondhand smoke, the greater the risk of developing lung cancer arises.
Moreover, children are at higher risk for the effects caused by secondhand smoke
because their bodies are still developing, and they breathe at a faster rate than adults.
Unfortunately, there are conditions linked to secondhand smoke exposure in children such
as: “sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), more respiratory infections (such as bronchitis
and pneumonia), more severe and frequent asthma attacks, ear infections and chronic
cough” (Watson, 2009).
Furthermore, cigarettes are randomly discarded after use without any proper sort or
form of disposal. The leftover cigarettes are called “cigarette butts” which can typically be
seen anywhere. As stated by Register (2000), 95% of cigarette filters are made of cellulose
acetate, which does not degrade easily. The fibers of cellulose acetate are white, thinner
than sewing thread, and tightly packed together to create a filter; they can appear to have a
cotton-like appearance. A cigarette filter is specially designed to absorb vapors and to
collect particles of smoke. According to a study conducted in a laboratory, cigarette butts
soaked in a liter of water for 24 hours released enough toxin to kill nearly half of saltwater
and freshwater fish after 96 hours (Slaughter et al., 2011). This implies that cigarette filters
which are made of cellulose acetate fiber is a form of plastic that is slow to degrade in the
environment. The accumulation of these cigarette butts is a direct threat to the environment
as it causes pollution by flowing into drains and then to rivers, beaches, and oceans. Not
only is it harmful to humans but also to the environment and the living things thriving in
it.
III. COUNTER-ARGUMENTS
Numerous research emphasizes that there is a negative relationship between the
smoking of tobacco and many other illnesses such as Alzheimer’s disease (AD),
Parkinson’s disease, and ulcerative colitis which may be harmful to the lungs and the other
part of the human body slowly with time passing. According to several studies, pure
nicotine could be the main factor affecting the smoking elements and it is capable of linking
with opium smoking, morphine as well. On the other side, clinical evidence stated that
nicotine could be a medicine for some diseases and help the patients for recovery. The
pharmacists stated, “nicotine acts on cholinergic (nicotinic-specific) receptors which are
depleted in AD and PD” [National Library of Medicine,2015]”. The reaction between
nicotine receptors and neurotransmitters impacts some diseases by decreasing the
symptoms. Nicotine also causes decreasing in the appetite for those who looking for weight
losing, chemical reactions that create temporary feelings of pleasure and concentration,
learning and memory will be increased as a result of using nicotine However, tobacco
smoking cannot be encouraged to use.
According to the study conducted by Ekpu, V. U., & Brown, A. K. (2015). Despite
there being costs of smoking, there are also potential economic benefits due to it. The
consumption of tobacco generates economic activities that provide economic stimulus. In
addition to that tobacco used for smoking also generates large tax revenues for many
governments, particularly in high-income countries, it also provides employment in the
tobacco industry. About 7.4% of centrally collected government revenue in China is
income from the tobacco industry. There are also savings in pension payments that are due
to the premature death of smokers.
Moreover, if smoking were to be banned there would be declines in the economies
of a few countries that are dependent on the tobacco industry such as Malawi (tobacco
accounts for 60% of total export earnings) and Zimbabwe (23%) (Warner, 2000).
In the tobacco industry's estimation, 33 million people grow tobacco, demonstrating
that the industry affects the economy at a broad level, affecting not only farms and
manufacturers, but also retailers and wholesalers. Other industries that supply the goods,
and services are also dependent on tobacco. These industries include warehousing, paper,
metal products, machinery manufacturing, advertising, transportation, and legal services,
among others (Warner, 2000).
IV. CONCLUSION
In conclusion, this paper has argued that smoking should be banned due to its
harmful effects. It has been proven beyond reasonable doubt that smoking is horrible for
the health of humans as well as detrimental to the environment. Smoking cigarettes not
only affects one’s health but also on our world and future generations. Smoking has caused
financial strain, loss of lives as well as loved ones. Banning smoking shall therefore
increase life expectancy and hopefully reduce risks of lung cancer, and other health
problems. Moreover, governments should assist in the fight against smoking despite its
economic significance. The health of the citizens should be put first before anything else.
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