Tobacco smoke contains more than 4,000 chemical compounds many of which directly lead to diseases(7). Excessive smoking leads to profound health risks such as lung cancer and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD). The effects of smoking are not limited to those who smoke firsthand; it inflicts harm on those around them as well. Second-hand smoke also causes very serious problems and because of the toxins inhaled by common people it can be just as bad as smoking.
Banning smoking on college campuses can decrease these risks and resolve many health issues which are directly caused by smoking. According to The American Nonsmokers Rights Foundation, there are at least 1,620 campuses which have already banned the use of tobacco(10). Smoking is common amongst students and the risks are often overlooked in such an environment. It is imperative that campuses ban smoking on campus colleges because of the severe health risks and the addictive nature of the nicotine drug it impacts all students confined to living on a small campus.
Cigarettes is the deadliest object you can purchase from a store because it contains so many toxins that can cause serious and deadly diseases. In the United States, cigarette smoking causes more than 480,000 deaths each year, it causes more deaths than HIV, firearm incidents and even illegal drug use each year(1). Smoking causes about 90% of all lung cancer deaths in men and women(1). It also causes blood cancer, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease(COPD), Stroke and many more diseases.
So many deaths every year, just caused by a small cylindrical object called a cigarette. Smoking is a problem among many and when smoking is common in college campuses many people are in harm’s way. Many college students are around the age range of 18-25 and according to the ASPE in 2001, about 26. 7% of 18-25 year olds smoke. In 2013 the percentage had decreased to 19. 7%, about a 7% drop(3). Although the percentage of smokers within that age range had decreased there are still risks for the 20% of smokers along with others around them.
A small object has such a large impact on someone’s health and because purchasing a pack of cigarettes is such a convenience, the customer forgets the risks that come with it. Some may believe smoking is not very harmful, some benefits include, a lowered risk of obesity due to the appetite suppressant of nicotine in the tobacco(8). Nicotine also enhances our ability to think, take tests and increases our memory function(9). According to a study with Dr. Stephen Heishman, a scientist with the National Institute on Drug Abuse the drug helps with fine motor skills and alertness, while improving short term memory.
Even Heishman was surprised by the finding, “We knew that the effect on attention was well known, but I was somewhat surprised about the effects on memory. Smokers say that one of the reasons that they smoke is to help them concentrate, focus on tasks and do their work, and obviously a lot of our daily work involves memory. So on the other hand, I guess it shouldn’t be too surprising(9). ” Although smoking has some benefits, the risks are more harmful than they are beneficial. Smoking doesn’t only harm those who smoke, but it harms those around them.
A smoker releases vapor which contains toxins that are deadly for the body. 8. 6 million suffer from serious illnesses from smoking or exposure to secondhand smoke(5). Secondhand smoke itself causes more than 8,000 deaths from stroke annually. It causes more than 7,300 lung cancer deaths among U. S nonsmokers each year. (4). Someone who doesn’t smoke has to go the through the thought of having the same risks as someone who does smoke. They were responsible enough to not smoke and now diagnosed with lung cancer or COPD because of something they had never done.
Second hand smoking can cause many of the same diseases and problems as a regular smoker, because you still inhale the same toxins as a smoker would(4). Some people may say that secondhand smoking may be prevented, if you just avoid those who smoke. Although it does decrease the risk of cancer and other diseases, it does not fully prevent the harm(7). It will not prevent the toxins from reaching the air and possibly another human being. Secondhand smoking couldn’t be fully prevented unless everyone were to stop smoking.
Banning smoking is effective and will decrease the amount of diseases caused by smoking and nicotine, because the amount of second hand smoke will decline. Banning smoking noticeably decreased the amount of patients in a hospital with conditions caused by smoking. In 2012 the United States implemented a local smokefree laws in workplaces, restaurants, and bars. These laws resulted in 20-21% decrease in hospital admission rates for heart attacks. The law also resulted in an 11% reduction of COPD hospital admissions(6).
The International Agency for Research on Cancer World Health Organization (IARC) had created a 300 page study which stated that “Smokefree workplaces reduce cigarette consumption among continuing smokers and lead to increased successful cessation among smokers. Smoke-free policies appear to reduce tobacco use among youth. There is a greater decline in smoking when smoke-free policies are part of a comprehensive tobacco control program. ” This represents the fact that banning smoking is effective and that it can and will decrease the amount of smokers among adults and youth.
Cigarettes, the vessels which deliver of a harmful dose of nicotine, have been proven to directly cause health issues and severe cancers in individuals. Gradually as the number of first hand smokers increases, the issue of secondhand smoking arises affecting an even larger population. Nicotine is a drug that should be banned on college campuses due to the severe health effects it imparts on both the individual smoking, and those who happen to be around the smoker. Banning smoking in public places such as universities a very effective means to ending the problem of smoking.
