Smoking is not a Right

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SMOKING IS NOT A RIGHT!

by Semih Sönmez

Would you take drugs if it wasn’t banned? What are the criterias to ban things? If something is banned it is mostly because it intervenes other people’s rights and the word “right” refers to the basic human rights. Do you think living in a healthy area is one of them? So what about smoking?

When smokers were asked if they would accept a ban for smoking, most of them said “Yes”. 18 years old smoker Ali Sanli Kucuk mentioned ; “It is like a doctor who says that we have only 3 months to live if we don’t give up smoking. We need someone or something to force us stop smoking. It would be nice.” However, nearly none of them think that it may be possible to ban smoking in Turkey right now. Maybe this idea of “impossibility” is their reason to continue smoking because this is human nature to behave as if bad things doesn’t happen to him/her. Is it normal to behave according to our instincts like our anchestors did in the prehistorical ages?

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Experts say the results of the surveys, which are conducted to learn what smokers think about a “smoking ban”,  may be misleading because the smokers who say “Not all the smokers will accept the ban.” may be one of those opposing smokers in fact. They may be ashamed to confess that they are opposed to a “smoking ban”. According to experts another issue to consider is the facilities which should be provided to legistate this ban. A sociologist complains ; “Everyone is talking  about the ban but nobody is thinking how it can be possible. The only way to ...

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