Smoking in Public Areas

Smoking in Public Areas

Have you ever walked out of a restaurant or a bar smelling like an ashtray after spending an hour of getting yourself ready for the occasion? I am sure that everyone has experienced this problem on more than one occasion. Smoking in public areas is an annoyance to many people everywhere, and not only is it aggravating to many non smokers, but it is also very hazardous to people's health. According to Manitoba Medical Association, secondhand smoke is the third leading cause of lung cancer and preventable death, after smoking and alcohol. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) report about 90 percent of nonsmoking people in the United States are exposed to the dangers of secondhand smoke. Most of these encounters are in public areas. Many smokers believe very strongly that they have the right to smoke wherever they please, and that smoking should be allowed in all public areas. "People go to the pub to relax. Relaxation is achieved by having a few drinks, a packet of crisps, and having a chat with friends, which include partaking in the legal activity of smoking" (1 Kate Atwell). However, does this give these smokers the right to harm the health of other people that are surrounded by them? In some parts of the United States actions have been taken to ban smoking in public areas, especially restaurants and bars. However, smoking should be banned in all public areas all over the world because it is an annoyance to others and ultimately harmful to innocent people. People should be able to breathe clean air when they are doing simple everyday things such as eating, chatting with friends, and working. After all, the concern of peoples health is more important than the convenience of being able to smoke in public.

Secondhand smoking can also be referred to as Environmental Tobacco Smoke (ETS) and passive smoking. The majority of the population today is very unaware of the devastating effects that secondhand smoke has on the body. Constant exposure to ETS in the workplace, in public, and at home, nearly doubles the risk of having a heart attack causing ten times as many deaths from heart and blood vessel diseases as it does from cancer. An estimated 35,000 heart disease deaths are associated annually with secondhand smoke victims. Also, 3,000 people who do not smoke die every year from lung cancer as a result of ETS. It is not fair that people who chose not to smoke for the well being of their health are still forced to breathe in the smoke from other people when they are innocently out in public. When people breath in this smoke, most are completely unaware that they are coming in contact with over 4,000 chemical compounds, 200 of which are known to be poisonous, and around 60 have been identified as carcinogens. When people decide to go out for a bite to eat it is also very disgusting when they are forced to breathe in smoke as they are taking a bite out of their food. Secondhand smoke also has many harmful effects on children as well as adults. The U.S. Environment Protection Agency (EPA) states that ETS is responsible for 150,000 to 300,000 lower respiratory tract infections. It also shows that between 200,000 and 100,000 kids with asthma have their condition worsened by secondhand smoke (1 Terry Martin). One should not legally be able to act in a manner that harms others. It just is not right.

One of the only problems in banning public smoking is the fear of losing business from customers. Many owners of businesses feel that if smoking is going to be banned in all public areas that the people will not be interested in eating at their restaurants, or drinking at their bars, which will ultimately lead in losing serious business. However, according to the UNH News Bureau, many businesses actually report that they are doing better since clean air policies have been implemented. "Long term experience in other areas with smoking bans has shown customers return to businesses that may experience temporary drops. This is most likely due to the fact that nonsmokers outnumber smokers 3 to 1, and report increased frequency in patronizing smoke free stores and restaurants" (2 Sharon Keeler). Smoking bans are government prohibitions or voluntary bans decided by establishment management on tobacco smoking in public indoor areas such as offices, restaurants, hotels, or even outdoor public areas such as parks and sports stadiums. Smoking has already been banned in many prominent states such as California, Colorado, Florida, New York, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Maine and more. The business in these states have been affected somewhat in that the restaurants usually are forced to close a little earlier than normal because many people go home so that they can smoke elsewhere at their homes. However, these public places now have healthier atmospheres and are no longer putting peoples health at risk from