Smoking should be made illegal Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Smoking should be made illegal - Essay Example This essay discusses the reasons why smoking should be made illegal. Smoking can cause serious health damage. "Smoking increases the risk of getting lung cancer, larynx cancer, COPD, oral cavity, throat cancer and oesophagus cancer." (Nationaal Kompas Volksgezondheid, RIVM, 25 September 2007) Smokers not only damage their own physical health, but they can also harm the same of the people who do not smoke. If a person breathes in cigarette smoke from the environment, it is called passive smoking. "Passive smoking is responsible for several thousands of deaths a year in The Netherlands." (Nationaal Kompas Volksgezondheid, RIVM, 25 September 2007) So the stressed out mother that desperately needs a smoke, while her kids are finally asleep on the couch, could indeed be damaging her children's health and of her own. In these times of financial crises we might want to cut back on our expenses a little bit. Since smoking is quite an expensive habit, this might be the time to save some money which otherwise would be spent on cigarettes. Most tobacco products are probably not that expensive on their own, but the taxes that are put on tobacco make cigarettes a lot more expensive. Also individual and national medical expenses could be reduced drastically. A counterargument could be that smoking is enjoyable and relaxing. ... 1998, Page 24) However, because of these stimulating effects, nicotine can be highly addictive. A person may grow dependent on nicotine to calm nerves, fight boredom, and keep focused as well as other reasons. As the body gets used to it, a person may experience detoxification symptoms as soon as he doesn't take his cigarette every two hours. Another counterargument may be that the tobacco industry highly contributes towards the Dutch economy. "The Netherlands is one of Europe's major suppliers of tobacco products. Several tens of thousands of Dutch citizens have tobacco to thank directly or indirectly for their welfare." (500 jaar tabakscultuur, Peter Bulthuis, Bzzth, 1992, Page 95). On the other hand stands the costs that smokers make for medical care, when they become ill from smoking, while the doctor already tells them to quit smoking time and time again. Also the discouraging campaigns against smoking by the government cost quite a lot. "A budget of about half a million Euros for the prevention of smoking among youth" (Genotmiddelen in Nederland, maatschappelijke en economische aspecten. A. Vreeken. Stichting Maatschappij en Onderneming. 1998, Page 48). In my opinion, there is nothing enjoyable about smoking, because it makes you physically ill, makes your breath smell bad, costs money and can cause damage to others whilst becoming an addiction. I believe that its dangers easily outweigh its pleasures. Of course, enjoyment is something that cannot be missed in a person's life, but there are also a lot of alternatives that are not as damaging to people's health. What if your daughter started smoking when she was 14, while you, as a parent, are in a hospital bed, terminally ill because of lung cancer, caused by smoking. Conclusion Smoking