Smoking occurs as one of the most coveted topics that have elicited immense debate across various settings. While it is true that smoking may be deemed as a recreational behaviour, it is of the essence that its effects are dire. Precisely, smoking has been closely linked with a number of fatal disease conditions such as cancer. Notably smoking does not only pose as a danger to the smokers alone, instead, it poses immense danger to non-smokers as well. In most cases, non-smokers consume second hand smoke, whose implication are similar to those posed by first hand or actual smoking. Statistics drawn from researches carried out in the recent past indicate that a significant proportion of the populations; close to 125 million people are predisposed to the dangerous effects of second hand smoke (Chapman, S., & Wiley InterScience, 2007). It is for this and other reasons that smoking in public should be repealed.
One of the most comprehensive reason as to why smoking in public should be repealed aligns with the fact that smoking in public possess danger to non-smokers in a number of ways. More importantly, second hand smoke that emanates from cases where smokers opt to smoke in public has been attributed to the significant rise in cases of respiratory infections. Smoking in public makes other people to consume second hand smoke, which elicit the occurrence of various respiratory infections including lung disease and asthma. The respiratory infections are fatal, especially for children whose bodies are less developed. Passive smoking that results in cases where smokers smoke in public causes the inflammation of the respiratory tract. The respiratory tract is often tasked with the role of protecting the body from respiratory tract infections. Smoking in public increases the occurrence of respiratory tract infections. Therefore, smoking in public should be repealed in order to save the populations from fatal respiratory infections that are caused by second hand smoke (Anderson, 2010).
Smoking in public poses more danger to certain population segments. More importantly, pregnant mothers are more at risk of the effects caused by smoking second hand smoke. Smoking in public makes pregnant mothers to passively smoke the commonly smoker substances. Most of the commonly smoked substances are detrimental for the growth of the foetus. Precisely, inhalation of smoke by pregnant mothers impairs normal foetal growth. Notably, commonly smoked substances such as cigarette contain harmful substances such as nicotine (Tarlo et al., 2011). When pregnant mother inhales smoke, nicotine is passed to the infant; hence, causing congenital malformations. Such malformations often lead to perinatal death of the infants, whereas in other cases it causes preterm births. Therefore, such problems experienced by vulnerable populations such as the pregnant women can be addressed by repealing behaviours aligned with smoking in public.
The negative implications caused by smoking in public stretch to the fact that it causes detrimental effects on the normal functioning of the cardiovascular system. Research findings by Royal College of Physicians of London (2005) notes that smoking in public exposes non-smokers to passive smoking, which results in a 25% increase in the chances of contracting heart disease. Persons residing in areas where public smoking is allowed are more likely to contract cardiovascular disease, whose effects are severe. The contents of commonly smoked substances are harmful to various parts of the heart, especially the arteries. These substances have adverse effects on the arterial linings, which are tasked with the role of supplying blood. From the above analysis, smoking in public does not confer any benefits. Instead, it has a wider array of detrimental effects; hence, it should be dealt away with.
References
Anderson, J. (2005). Smoking: It’s your health. New Jersey: Black Rabbits Books.
Chapman, S., & Wiley InterScience (Online service). (2007). Public health advocacy and tobacco control: Making smoking history. Oxford: Blackwell Pub.
Royal College of Physicians of London. (2005). going smoke-free: The medical case for clean air in the home, at work and in public places. London: Royal College of Physicians of London.
Tarlo, S., Cullinan, P., & Nemery, B. (2011). Occupational and Environmental Lung Diseases: Disease from Work, Home and Other Exposures. London: John Wiley & Sons.
