Smoking Should Be Banned in ontario

Smoking Should be banned in Ontario

Smoking is one ugly monster. Cigarette smoke contains over 4,000 chemicals; 43 of which are cancer causing. Smoking is responsible for over 30% of deaths from cancer; it is also the number 1 cause of deaths from cancer. 25% of heart attacks are due to smoking (Smoking Facts). Not only does smoking kill smokers, but every year thousands die from second-hand smoking (Smoke-free, 2004). Why can’t we understand there are absolutely no good results from smoking? Smoking should be banned completely in Ontario.

Some may feel that smoking shouldn’t be banned because it profits variety stores, pub owners, and such. Smoking also helps the economy. It might also be felt that the government has no right to make its citizens healthy. People have also suggested that if smokers can’t smoke they may abuse alcohol, or that smoking is what makes people have a good time. Another reason people feel smoking shouldn’t be banned is that if there was a ban no one would follow it (Shouldn’t). These are all very lame excuses why smoking shouldn’t be banned and the health of humans should not be protected.

When it is said that pub and variety store owners would not be able to stay open if there was a smoking ban I say this is absolutely ridiculous. Many of the customers are non-smokers, so the deficit would not be too great. Variety stores have much more to sell than cigarettes. If these stores can only survive with the financial aid of something that kills many Ontarians a year there is something seriously wrong with my perspective of Ontario.

Smoking benefits our economy. Not only does the government make money from taxes on the cigarettes, the government can also save money from people who died due to smoking that wouldn’t live to use healthcare or housing for the elderly. In 1997, the Czech Republic saved 147 million dollars from people who would never use these things due to death from smoking (Fury). Smoking does benefit our economy, but we also lose significant amounts of money, for example “the direct healthcare costs associated with smoking in Ontario in 1992 were about $1.1 billion” (Tobacco). Sure smoking helps our economy, but at the cost of our citizens health. If we really do need a stronger economy, even if it has very bad consequences why not legalize cocaine and other drugs, surely these could benefit our economy.

As mentioned earlier there are over 4,000 chemicals in cigarette smoke, 43 which happen to be cancer causing. Some of these chemicals can also be found in household items such as rat poison,