Should Cigarettes Be Banned in the U.S.?

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Tobacco has been around in the world for over 2.5 million years. It was not until a few hundred years ago when the tobacco industry decided to put these crops into use and conjure up tobacco products for the community. A popular tobacco product in society is cigarettes, as they are cheap and simple to use. As long as one is over eighteen, acquiring cigarettes is a straightforward process for a reasonable price, albeit the sin tax. It was not until recently when cigarettes became widely controversial due to the plant containing nicotine, an addictive drug to the body. Aside from containing nicotine and other hazardous chemicals to the body, cigarettes also cause a whole host of health implications to the user and the people around him or her. Aside from these health implications, cigarettes should not be banned in the U.S. because of the exaggeration of the results of secondhand smoking, the similarity of the Prohibition era, the devastation of the U.S. economy, and the freedom of one’s own actions.
The two main reasons why people want cigarettes to be banned is because of the health implications it causes to oneself and others around him or her and the addictive chemicals it comes along with it. Cigarettes do indeed cause health problems. According to the Department of Health and Human Services, health problems include “increasing your risk of coronary heart disease, high blood pressure, stroke, cancer, type 2 diabetes, scarring of the lungs, and bone density loss.” However, health implications caused by smoking is now considered common knowledge to society. By smoking cigarettes, the person abides to the understanding of the health implications and chooses to smoke out of his or her free will. Smoking, on the other hand, does b...

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... Smoking on Your Health." Health Effects of Smoking. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 May 2014. .
"Facts - State of Tobacco Control 2014 | American Lung Association." State of Tobacco Control 2014. Web. 10 May 2014. .
"Smoke-free Homes: Fact Sheet: Setting the Record Straight." EPA. Environmental Protection Agency, June 1994. Web. 10 May 2014. .
Taylor, James M. "Secondhand Smoke Fears Overstated, Study Finds." Heartlander Magazine. N.p., 1 Aug. 2003. Web. 10 May 2014. .
"Tobacco Tax Revenue." Tobacco Tax Revenue. , 29 July 2013. Web. 10 May 2014. .

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