I think, that smoking must be banned in all public places. Because it is very harmful for human health. I know it very well, because I am smoker, but now I try to drop this bad habit.
Secondhand smoke contains hundreds of toxic chemicals including arsenic ammonia, hydrogen cyanide, formaldehyde, benzene, and vinyl chloride. It is known to cause cancer, coronary heart disease, and respiratory problems. There is no risk-free level of exposure to secondhand smoke. That is why non smokers and especially children should not be subjected to this disgusting habit.
On the other side, people talk a lot about the "right" to smoke, but from what I have read, a large proportion of smokers are addicted and actually wish they could quit, or at least had the choice of quitting. Addiction removes personal choice, it doesn't increase it. Nicotine is known to be among the most addictive substances known to humanity. Recently released internal memos from the tobacco industry show they have the explicit goal to addict as many people as they can, especially young people, who have many decades of smoking ahead of them.
I am sure many smokers don't like being told that smoking is bad for them, but I don't think it is too much to ask to have them go somewhere where they won't hurt the health of the people who are forced to be around them. And it is very popular theme for discussing.
Present time, it is good that many employers support smoking bans, because they know it reduces their health care costs and reduces absenteeism, not just from lung cancer but from colds, bronchitis, emphysema, etc. And labor unions often support them for the same reasons.
4 Smoking Must Be Banned In All Public Places
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