Should Smoking in Public Places Be Banned?

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Should Smoking in Public Places Be Banned?

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Introduction

        As of the 1st of July 2007, Britain has followed the footsteps of other countries such as Ireland and Bhutan and set up a smoking ban in public buildings – schools, shopping centres, restaurants, bars and clubs – pretty much any enclosed indoor space you can think of. But, is this the right thing to do? Is it fair to force people out to the streets to smoke, or is it equally unjust to force people to sit in other peoples cigarette clouds?

        I will be investigating this issue and the reasons why it should and should not be banned, as well as the effects smoking has on the body.

Why it should be banned

The arguments against smoking are well known. For one, smoking has been shown to be dangerous to health. Many diseases, such as heart disease, bronchitis and cancer, have all been linked. Because of this, smoking costs governments millions of pounds ever year due to the large number of people who need treatment in hospitals for smoking related problems. If there was a ban, more people would want to quit smoking, therefore improving health from themselves and others and decreasing the amount of patients and deaths that are associated to smoking.

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More people quitting would also decrease rates of passive smoking sufferers. There is concern today about passive smoking and recent research has shown that non-smokers can suffer health problems if they spend long periods of time among people who do smoke. Having a ban would make non-smokers less susceptible to second-hand smoke, and shows these people respect by not forcing them to sit it smoker’s fumes.

Also, not smoking in public buildings generally creates a nicer, fresher atmosphere, especially in restaurants and clubs.

Why it shouldn’t be banned

Firstly, smoking undoubtedly helps many ...

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