Outline: WHY SMOKING SHOULD BE ILLEGAL
1.
INTRODUCTION
(a) Background information to introduce the issue:
❖ Definition:
➢ Smoking has been practiced in one form or another since ancient times. Tobacco and various
hallucinogenic drugs were smoked all over the Americas as early as 5000 BC in shamanistic rituals and
originated in the Peruvian and Ecuadorian Andes. (Wilbert, N.D)
➢ Smoking, the act of inhaling and exhaling the fumes of burning plant material. A variety of plant
materials are smoked, including marijuana and hashish, but the act is most associated with tobacco as
smoked in a cigarette, cigar, or pipe (Rose et.al, 2021).
➢ The smoking of tobacco, long practiced by American Indians, was introduced to Europe by Christopher
Columbus and other explorers (Rose et.al, 2021).
❖ Why do we need to ban smoking of cigarettes?:
➢ Cigarettes are a very dangerous substance that has killed approximately 6 million people each year.
➢ Tobacco has now been proven to be dangerous and therefore the manufacturers should be held
accountable to their promise to discontinue it once proven harmful.
➢ Cigarette smoking also causes global warming.
➢ Cigarettes are a defective product that causes cancer as well as a financial strain.
➢ Most importantly, the main reason to ban the sale of cigarettes is that smokers do not even like the fact
that they smoke.
(DR Robert N Proctor, 2013)
➢ Children are greatly affected by smoking. Banning smoking in public places has reduced the number of
premature births and asthma attacks among children; imagine the improvement when smoking is
completely banned. (Brigham health hub (2017) Study shows smoking ban benefits kids )
❖ Benefits of quitting smoking:
➢ Improved taste and smell. Nerve endings in the mouth and nose that were damaged begin to grow after
the first 48 hours of quitting, thus resulting in an improved sense of taste and smell.
➢ Better immune system. After quitting, oxygen levels increase, blood circulation improves and
inflammation is lowered. All of this boosts the immune system and makes it easier to fight off illnesses.
➢ Reduced risk of disease and death from stroke, cancer and respiratory illnesses.
➢ Cleaner mouth and teeth. Smoking causes bad breath and yellow teeth, improvements can be noticed
within a week of quitting (Nall, 2018).
❖ What countries have the highest percentage of smokers?:
➢ China has the most tobacco users (300.8 million).
➢ India has the most smokeless tobacco users (205.9 million).
➢ Russia faces a looming crisis. Russia has the highest smoking rate among men (60.2 percent).
Particularly alarming is the fact that the percentage of Russian youth who smoke (both male and female,
ages 15 to 20) is higher than in any other country in the study.
➢ Bangladesh has the highest rate among women.
➢ Without urgent action, tobacco use will claim one billion lives this century. It already kills six million
people a year, accounting for one in 10 deaths among adults worldwide. Governments must act now to
reduce the devastating global toll of tobacco products on health, lives and economies (Myers, 2012).
(b) Thesis statement
We strongly agree with the statement that smoking or inhaling smoke from a burned substance should be banned. The
harmful effect of smoking is detrimental as it causes problems that are lethal to an individual’s health.
2. BODY
a) First Supporting Point:
Smoking has been proven to be detrimental to one's health. It is a defective product that causes cancer and has killed
approximately six million people each year. Moreover, smoking also causes chronic bronchitis, heart diseases, stroke,
diabetes, and many more health risks.
Evidence: elaborations, facts and specific examples
On average, people who smoke die about 10 years earlier than people who have never smoked. Furthermore, one in five
people die each year due to smoking. About 80% of lung cancers, and also about 80% of all lung cancer deaths, are due to
smoking. Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death in both men and women. (World Health Organization ( 2021)
Tobacco- WHO )
b) Second Supporting Point :
Secondhand smoke, which is the combination of smoke breathed out from smokers and from the burning end of the
cigarette is harmful to people that are exposed to it. Especially for the people with heart problems and lung ailments such as
asthma, bronchitis, etc.
Evidence: elaborations, facts and specific examples
Breathing in secondhand smoke has immediate harmful effects on the blood vessels, lungs and heart. Furthermore, the
people that are exposed to secondhand smoke whether at work or at home, develop a 25-30% increase in risk of developed
heart disease.
c) Third Supporting Point :
The cigarette butts are also harmful since they are usually made from plastic. Pollutants are also released into the
atmosphere by the dregs of tobacco butts.
Evidence: elaborations, facts and specific examples
Thousands of polymer acetate strands make up the polymer acetate filter of cigarettes, which can take 15-25 years to
dissolve. Every year, trillions of cigarette butts are discarded. Eventually, the cigarette butts end up inside the stomachs of
birds and fish. Some of the fish that we have eaten may have been contaminated with cigarette butts (Cigarettes Should be
Illegal – Argumentative Essay)
d) Counter-argument 1 :
Although tobacco smoking has long been associated with diseases of the lungs and cardiovascular system, numerous
studies have demonstrated a negative association between tobacco smoking and ulcerative colitis, and the
neurodegenerative diseases, Alzheimer's disease (AD) and Parkinson's disease (PD).
Evidence: elaborations, facts and specific examples
The evidence suggests that nicotine--the main pharmacologically active ingredient of tobacco--appears to be responsible for
this effect. Pure nicotine has no known carcinogenic properties and can be administered in numerous ways including
transdermal patches and tablets. As a therapeutic agent, its association with tobacco can be likened to morphine and opium
smoking. There is ample clinical evidence to suggest that nicotine could be beneficial in the treatment of some patients with
diseases. Pharmacologically, nicotine acts on cholinergic (nicotinic-specific) receptors which are depleted in AD and PD.
Nicotinic receptors also interact closely with several neurotransmitters including dopamine, which is implicated in both PD
and Gilles de la Tourettes's syndrome (HHS,National Library of Medicine, 2015).
Rebut:
However, there is no doubt that tobacco smoking can be harmful and no-one should be encouraged to smoke.
e) Counter-argument 2 :
There is more government revenue due to cigarette taxation.
Evidence: elaborations, facts and specific examples
“The costs of smoking notwithstanding, it produces some potential economic benefits. The economic activities generated
from the production and consumption of tobacco provides economic stimulus. It also produces huge tax revenues for most
governments, especially in high-income countries, as well as employment in the tobacco industry. Income from the tobacco
industry accounts for up to 7.4% of centrally collected government revenue in China. Smoking also yields cost savings in
pension payments from the premature death of smokers (Ekpu, V. U., & Brown, A. K., 2015).
Rebut:
These gains can be classified as ill-gotten gains, as governments are literally benefiting from people's addiction to cigarettes
and the harming of their lives. Money should not be valued over life.
3. CONCLUSION
In conclusion, this paper has argued that smoking should be banned due to its harmful effects not only to one’s health, but also
to our world and future generations. Smoking has caused financial strain, loss of lives as well as loved ones . Banning smoking
shall therefore increase the life expectancy and hopefully reduce risks of lung cancer, and other health problems.
References:
1. Secondhand Smoke (SHS) Facts. (2021, January 5). Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
https://www.cancer.org/healthy/stay-away-from-tobacco/health-risks-of-tobacco/health-risks-of-smoking-tobacco.html
2. Written by Ann Pietrangelo,Medically reviewed by Judith Marcin, M.D. (2019) The effects of smoking on the body
https://www.healthline.com/health/smoking/effects-on-body
3. Nall, R. M. (2018, May 23). What Happens When You Quit Smoking?
4. (DR Robert N Proctor, (2013) Why ban the sale of cigarettes? The case for abolition
https://www.dhhs.tas.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0005/222449/81.2_Robert_Proctor_-_attachment_2.pdf )
5. Dorie E. Apollonio, Lauren M. Dutra, Stanton A. Glantz (2021) Associations between smoking trajectories, smoke-free
laws and cigarette taxes in a longitudinal sample of youth and young adults
https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article/file?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0246321&type=printable
6. Hilton, M. J. , Rose, . Christine Ann , Henningfield, . Jack and Sweanor, . David T. (2021, November 2). smoking.
Encyclopedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/topic/smoking-tobacco
7. Source Essay. (n.d). Cigarettes Should be Illegal – Argumentative Essay. https://sourceessay.com/cigarettes-should-beillegal-argumentative-essay/