Should smoking in public be banned?

That’s the hot question these days. Public smoking laws are shaping up to be a big campaign issue in upcoming elections. Public health advocates say yes, public smoking needs to be banned. They say smoking in public places put the general public and employees of businesses that allow smoking at risk from secondhand smoke. It’s been proven that secondhand smoke can cause cancer, heart disease, and other smoking related illnesses in non smokers who are exposed to secondhand smoke. Smokers say that it’s not illegal to smoke, so they should be allowed to smoke in public. Smoking in public isn’t a right, say people who are opposed to smoking. They say that if people choose to smoke they should do it where they are not putting anyone else at risk. Some smokers side with the people who think that smoking in public should be banned in public places. They say that they don’t want to put anyone else at risk and will deal with the inconvenience of public smoking being banned. Employees in restaurants where smoking is banned say that they are healthier and enjoy working more when they are not around smokers. Employers say that their insurance costs will go down when their employees are not around smokers.

What are the pros and cons of smoking in public places?

The cons of smoking in public places are obvious. Secondhand smoke is dangerous. It causes cancer and other health problems. Even a few minutes of exposure to secondhand smoke can cause damage to a non smoker. Employees of bars and restaurants should be allowed to work in smoke free environments that are not going to damage their health. Public smoking bans can mitigate the effects of public smoking. There are many people who don’t want to be around people smoking in public places. They don’t feel that smoking should be allowed in any public place, even restaurants or bars. There are books and medical journals that detail the effects of banning smoking in public places. Statistics indicate that it is a great benefit to public health to ban smoking in public places. With the growing health care crisis in the US many health care providers are urging their customers not to smoke. They are even offering non smoking programs and medications to help people quit. No one wants to take away people’s right to smoke, but the benefit to public health that are gained by banning smoking in public places must be considered.