English I - Argumentive / Persuasive Essay

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Smoking

I recently read an opinion letter to the editor in a news column about smoking bans . The title was If smoking is so bad , why hasn 't the government made it illegal ' Good question

Smoking has been a debatable issue for decades . Laws have been enacted to control its distribution and content , and more recently , states have been placing smoking bans on their ballots for voters to choose to limit smoking or ban it altogether in public places

With the growing

concern over the health risks associated with smoking not just for smokers , but for those exposed to second-hand smoke , state legislatures felt compelled to protect their citizens . But are the laws really effective or necessary and by enacting such laws , are we limiting people 's freedoms

The twenty-first century has seen a dramatic switch in the role of tobacco in the United States . The cash crop that used to drive the economy and that helped to form class systems in the United States is now a controlled substance . With recent advances in medical technology and communication ability , widespread concern has arisen over the use of tobacco and the overwhelming statistics that indicate its use is deadly

Are laws uncalled for , however ? Are they really necessary to protect the public health ? If we didn 't have them , how could public smoking be controlled ? Or does it even need to be

According the group The Truth , smoking kills more Americans every day than any other type of illness or accident . This group spreads public awareness of the risks involved with smoking . Needless to say they are anti-tobacco . Groups such as this one have made the public more aware of the costs of nicotine addiction . In turn , the awareness has brought on public outrage at tobacco companies and manufacturers of tobacco products , cigarettes specifically

Citizens are demanding that corporations who manufacture cigarettes pay medical expenses and wrongful death for thousands of families who lost loved ones due to lung cancer or other tobacco related deaths

While there is sense in making tobacco companies publish their findings about addiction and reveal what is in the cigarettes to those who may choose to purchase their products , are state wide smoking bans sensible I say no

There are already laws in place that make purchasing tobacco products for anyone under the age of 18 illegal therefore , technically only adults have the choice to purchase cigarettes . At this age , there should be enough information available and learned for each individual to make the choice to smoke or not

Secondly , smoking is notoriously affiliated with the night life and with social settings where alcohol (also a legal substance ) is served Many people who socially drink also socially smoke , or vice versa Banning smoking in public places , including restaurants or night clubs places unfair restrictions on the owners and proprietors of these establishments

If that weren 't strict enough , the laws also ban smoking in private clubs as well and provides...