Mona Styr

By: Julie Baughan
Over the past few years, efforts have been undertaken by local government officials in order to encourage smokers to quit this addiction because of the adverse effects it brings to one’s health.  Apart from the release of various reports and advertisements focusing on the negative side of smoking, a growing number of government officials all over the world have taken this a step further by enforcing laws banning smoking from public areas after reviewing positive reports regarding countries that have already done this for many years. This effort of government officials has caused many raised eyebrows and debates.  

Many people, especially smokers, have seen this effort made by the government to be extremely prejudicial and discriminatory. After all, they would often argue, choosing whether or not to quit their smoking habit is an exercise of their right to freedom of choice. While this may be the case, government officials are given the responsibility to look after the welfare of the vast majority and to ensure their safety and protection. Here are just some of the arguments justifying that smoking should be banned from the public areas.

Second-Hand Smoking Hazards

Studies have recently shown that while smokers increase their risk to develop a variety of different diseases and illnesses due to the smoking habit, the risk actually increases for the second-hand smokers. Second-hand smokers are individuals who may have never smoked in their entire life, but have been exposed for long periods of time to the smoke emitted by cigarettes and exhaled by smokers.  This is because the same chemicals that are inhaled by smokers are inhaled by the second-hand smokers without the benefit of the filter to eliminate a portion of the toxic chemicals and compounds found in each cigarette.  

Decrease in Revenues

Because of the fact that second-hand smoking affects the health of both smokers and non-smokers, this can lead to an increase of absenteeism in the workplace brought about by illnesses resulting from being exposed to cigarette smoke. A high absenteeism rate in a company can lead to the decrease of its output performance because of the lack of manpower. As a result, the company would suffer losses instead of earning profit. On top of that, some companies pay for the health fund of their employees. By frequently paying for their health expenses the company can experience further losses in the long run.

Environmental Hazards

Another reason why government officials want to ban smoking in public areas is that it has adverse effects on the environment. Many smokers might find this argument to be a little bit exaggerated. But in reality, this is based on factual studies that have been conducted. Millions of people all over the world smoke each day, releasing large quantities of carbon dioxide and other harmful gases into the air, contributing to the global warming issue we currently face. On top of that, the filters that are disposed by these smokers are not biodegradable or recyclable. As such, they are dumped into landfills, which take decades to get decomposed.