How shocking is it that 18.1% of Americans are smokers? The percent may not appear very large, but this number estimates to 42.1 million people (Smoking). Statistics show that the majority of smokers, started from an early adolescent age. The highly addictive stimulant of nicotine makes it troublesome to quit the habit. Although many are aware of the dangers and warnings of smoking, they persist on to grasp a cigarette and puff away. Cigarettes and all tobacco products should be outlawed because they impair health, create risks for non-smokers, and destroy the environment.
The hazardous health factors that are involved with cigarettes and tobacco products can easily harm and destroy a person’s general well-being. The National Cancer Institute has acknowledged these chemicals consisted in cigarettes and tobacco products, as the direct cause of cancer. Tobacco smoke for example, dwells with 4,000 chemicals, and at least 250 known to be dangerous to health (Quitting Smoking). Puffing away on cigarettes abuses almost every organ in the body and provokes cancer of the lungs, esophagus, larynx, mouth, kidney, bladder, etc (Quitting Smoking). Even with knowing this information, people resume to smoking these cancer sticks. The result from smoking has caused approximately 443,000 deaths each year in the United States, and this number is increasing by the day (Smoking). Once a person starts smoking a cigarette or tobacco product, the urge of wanting to stop can be very challenging to do. The effects of the nicotine consisted in the product, are highly addictive, as some research has even claimed it may be more addictive than heroin (Why is smoking addictive). The balance of chemicals in the brain is adjusted from the effects of the nicot...
... middle of paper ...
...f the Surgeon General. N.p.: n.p., 2006. 22-24. Rpt. in Tobacco and Smoking. Ed. Susan Hunnicutt. Detroit: Greenhaven, 2009. Opposing Viewpoints. Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 18 Mar. 2014.
"Cigarette Butts Are Toxic Waste1." Environmental Impact of Tobacco Smoking.
TobaccoFreeCA, n.d. Web. 23 Mar. 2014.
"Cigarette Litter --impacts." Cigarette Litter --impacts. Cigarette Butt Litter, n.d. Web.
18 Mar. 2014.
"Quitting Smoking: Why to Quit and How to Get Help." N.p.: n.p., 2007. N. pag. Rpt. inChemical Dependency. Ed. Roman Espejo. Detroit: Greenhaven, 2011. Opposing Viewpoints. Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 18 Mar. 2014.
"Smoking." Current Issues: Macmillan Social Science Library. Detroit: Gale, 2010. N. pag. Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 18 Mar. 2014.
"Why Is Smoking Addictive?" - Health Questions. NHS Choices, n.d. Web. 24 Mar.
2014.
In other words, people who smoke should quit not only for their health, but for the health of their loved ones and the people around when they smoke, especially for that of children. We now know that when a person smokes, you’re inhaling life-threatening chemicals, and you’re damaging your internal organs. In addition, smoking leads to wrinkles, teeth falling out, along with other gruesome consequences that eventually lead to death. Another think to recalculate is that apart from the chemicals already in the cigarette more are created when a person light it. It is said that people who quit smoking are doing the most preventable cause of death in the United States.Some of the effects that smoking causes is that it increases the person’s irritability, impatience, hostility, anxiety, depressed mood, it’s difficult for the smoker to concentrate, restlessness, decreased heart rate, appetite or weight gain, all of these things in which are bad for a person’s health.
Smoking tobacco in the cigarette form was extremely popular in the early part of the 20th century. Many people joined in the popular habit, got addicted, and had no fear of the future consequences or health concerns. Many people were under the impression that smoking was good for their bodies, and were unaware of the unhealthy side affects that cigarette smoking caused. Some famous people like Walt Disney, Ty Cobb, and Babe Ruth all were killed from their love of tobacco. Soon enough more and more cases of lung, throat, and mouth cancers began popping up all over the place, but people were reluctant to blame their beloved tobacco. It wasn’t until 1964 when Surgeon General Luther Terry stated that smoking causes lung cancer in people who smoke and inhale the fumes, that perceptions on smoking began to change. Since the findings of the Surgeon General, there has been an on going battle between pro-smoking, and anti-smoking groups over the rights of smokers. As the non smoking movement is growing at a rapid pace, and smoking bans have been ruled to not violate the 1st Amendment. In the last decade we have banned smoking in almost all public areas from bars and restaurants, offices, malls, and living quarters. The smoking bans are one effective way to abolish smoking, but it fails to address the major component in smoking; addiction to nicotine, and the psychological effect it has on users. Unfortunately, there isn’t an easy way to end smoking. This is because treatment plans have such a small level of success. Medical treatment such as prescription medication often have more side effects than positive effects for the user. But one product has been making huge gains in the fight to quit tobacco, and that is the electronic cigarette...
Over the years, the partnership between health ministers and health groups has produced some very substantial gains on the subject of tobacco use. Smoking bans that were thought of as radical 20 years ago are now commonplace. Public awareness of smoking risks has never been higher. And our new Tobacco Act sets a world standard for anti-tobacco legislation.
Lande, Gregory, DO, FACN. “Nicotine Addiction Treatment & Management.” Medscape Reference. 02 Aug. 2011. Web. 09 October 2011.
The prevalent use of tobacco products among Americans is an important issue that should be brought to the surface. This issue should be raised because many of the diseases and illnesses associated with tobacco use are preventable. Most individuals are aware of the health threats associated with tobacco use, but are unable to quit. As future healthcare professionals, part of our duty is to educate the public about these health threats as well as help tobacco users quit. Throughout this paper we will inform about the various tobacco products, the effects they pose on the body, cessation options and strategies available for users, and learning outcomes.
Every year cigarette smoking is responsible for 500,000 premature deaths (Nugel), you do not want to be just another statistic, do you? America’s first cash crop was tobacco. That means that tobacco has been around for a really long time. It was not until 1865, though, that cigarettes were sold commercially. They were sold to soldiers at the end of the Civil War (Dowshen). From then, cigarettes spread like wildfire, and it was not until 1964 that anyone made a stand about the negative effects of tobacco and cigarettes. People start smoking for all different reasons, some to fit in and some to “escape”. Regardless, it is a horrible habit. 3900 children will try their first cigarette today. Amongst adults who currently smoke, 68% of them began at age 18 or younger, and 85% at 21 or younger (American Lung Association). And of all those people, 70% say if they were given another chance they would never have picked up that first cigarette (Tobacco Free Maine). Smoking is responsible for 1 and 5 deaths in the united states, and is the number one preventable cause of death (NLH). Smoking burns and there is no doubt about that, but before one picks up that cigarette, understand the negative effects on not only oneself, but others affected by ones poor choices, like second-hand smoke. Because of smoking cigarettes, many types of cancer, decrease of life quality, and negative health effects have become all too common in the world today.
The harmful carcinogens in cigarettes cause about 480,000 deaths each year. These amounts of casualties seem to me as a serious problem, which needs to be addressed and reduced immediately. Cigarettes are known to have a variety of chemicals inside of them ranging from acetone to tar. The chemicals inside of cigarettes have been directly linked to cancer related effects. Due to the poisonous effects and numerous complications involved with cigarettes, they should be made illegal to sell and consume within the United States. Although there are thousands of reasons why cigarettes should be illegal, in this argumentative essay I will closely examine three. The effects of carcinogens, stress of addiction and death prevention are the three main reasons why cigarettes should be illegal.
Smoking cigarettes is a detrimental practice not only to the smoker, but also to everyone around the smoker. According to an article from the American Lung Association, “Health Effects” (n.d.), “Smoking is the leading cause of preventable death in the U.S., causing over 438,000 deaths per year”. The umbrella term for tobacco use includes the use of cigarettes, cigars, e-cigs and chewing tobacco. While tobacco causes adverse health consequences, it also has been a unifying factor for change in public health. While the tobacco industries targets specific populations, public health specifically targets smokers, possible smokers, and the public to influence cessation, policies and education.
American Lung Association. “What are the Benefits of Quitting Smoking?” 2003. 10 March 2004. http://www.lungusa.org/tobacco/quit_ben.html
Smoking - one of the most harmful addictions, is a social problem of society, both for its smoking and non-smoking section. For the first part of the problem it is to quit smoking, for the second - to avoid the influence of smoking society and not "catch" their habit, as well as - to protect their health from smoking products. It's no secret that smoking is harmful to health, however, every day about 15 billion cigarettes are smoked.
The Surgeon General of the United States of America recently called smoking, “the leading preventable cause of disease and death in the United States” (U.S. Dept of Health & Human Services, 2010). This bold assertion that will later be backed by evidence is the reasoning for this attempt to change policy. It is essential that policy on tobacco use increases. Even more so, it is important that such policies are aimed at the youth of our country. As you will come to see, stopping youthful smoking, will in turn end the cycle of tobacco use and prevent the health defects that it causes. There are many possible ways to deter young people from using tobacco. These include increasing taxes, increasing funding for prevention programs and increasing
For this paper, I will to focus on smoking in the United States population as smoking causes a significant burden on health care systems and on the economy. Smoking negatively affects most organs, causing cancer, heart disease, stroke, lung disease, diabetes, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and other diseases. Tobacco use costs more than $300 billion per year in medical care and lost productivity due to premature death and secondhand smoke in the United States. Cigarette smoking is the leading cause of preventable disease and death in the United States (US), causing more than 480,000 deaths per year in the US and contributing to smokers dying ten years earlier than nonsmokers. Additionally, nicotine, an ingredient naturally in
One of the biggest problems that people are faced with on a day-to-day basis is cigarette smoke. The sole cause for 480,000 deaths each year just in the United States is accredit to cigarettes(CDC). For a lot of the smokers the habit of smoking happens to assist them when under stress and dealing with issues that are unmanageable. Some smoke to appeal to their peers or simply because it “feels good.” Smoking one cigarette can lead to a major addiction. The effects of smoking hurt oneself and those amongst us. Smoking Kills as the ad portrays this revolver and cigarettes as the bullets, and also lists the side effects of smoking. Cigarettes causes cancer, increases the risk of you getting a stroke, highly addictive and causes a lot of health problems. Nearly 16
Smoking is a simple process of inhaling and exhaling the fumes of burning tobacco, but it has deadly consequences. According to the American Cancer Society, smoking is the most preventable cause of death in America today (Encarta, 2002). Until the 1940?s, smoking was considered harmless. It was at this time that epidemiologists noticed a dramatic increase in the cases of lung cancer. A study was then conducted between smokers and nonsmokers to determine if cigarettes were the cause of this increase. This study, conducted by the American Cancer Society, found increased mortality among smokers. Yet it was not until 1964 that the Surgeon General put out a report acknowledging the danger of cigarettes. The first action to curb smoking was the mandate of a warning on cigarette packages by the Federal Trade Commission (Encarta, 2002). In 1971, all cigarette advertising was banned from radio and television, and cities and states passed laws requiring nonsmoking sections in public places and workplaces (Encarta, 2002). Now in some cities smoking is being completely banned from public places and workplaces and various people are striving for more of these laws against smoking.
One person dies every six seconds due to a tobacco related disease, which results in a shocking amount of ten deaths per minute. Tobacco is one of the most heavily used addictive products in the United States. Tobacco contains over 4,000 chemicals; approximately 250 are dangerously harmful to humans. Smoking is a major public health problem. All smokers face an increased risk of lung cancer, cardiovascular problems and many other disorders. Smoking should be banned due to the many health risks to the user, second hand related smoke illness, and excessive cost.