Reference

Helpguide. (2012). How to quit smoking. Retrieved May 1, 2012,

from http://www.helpguide.org/mental/quit_smoking_cessation.htm

Best Quit Smoking Product. (2012). Retrieved May 1, 2012, 

from http://www.bestquitsmokingproduct.com/relieving-unpleasant-feelings-without-cigarettes/

Richard Trubo. (2012). Alternatives for giving up cigarettes. Retrieved May 1, 2012, from  http://www.webmd.com/smoking-cessation/features/quit-smoking-alternatives

Harmful health effects of smoking. (2012). Retrieved May 1, 2012, from 

http://www.stop-smoking-programs.org/effects-of-smoking.html

Risk factors. (2011). Retrieved May 2, 2012, from http://www.cdc.gov/cancer/lung/basic_info/risk_factors.htm

Smoking lung cancer facts (2012). Retrieved May 2, 2012, from 

http://www.stop-smoking-programs.org/lung-cancer.html

What are the risks of smoking (2011). Retrieved May 2, 2012, from 

http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/health-topics/topics/smo/risks.html

Smoking face the facts (2009). Retrieved May 2, 2012,
from http://www.facethefacts.org.nz/facts

Smoking not our future (2010) Retrieved May 2, 2012,
from http://www.notourfuture.co.nz/

Emphysema (2012). Retrieved May 2, 2012,
from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emphysema

Conclusion

I believe that many people would agree to help towards putting a ban on smoking. If the government banned this poisonous drug, our country would be a better place and it would certainly improve lifestyles.  

With cigarettes costing quite a lot these days, it would help families save and money saved could be put to better use where the entire family can enjoy the benefits. 

Since there is as huge amount of smokers in New Zealand i understand that if smoking were to be banned it may cause a riot and upset a lot of people, but they need to understand that it is a step towards a better life for the smoker and for everyone around them. 

Dont throw away your life

Many smokers find it hard to give up their daily dose of nicotine, but there are ways in which they can stop completely.   

Smoking tobacco is both a psychological habit and a physical addiction. Users may find it hard to give up smoking because it helps with managing unpleasant feelings such as stress, depression and loneliness. 

Just because a cigarette helps with these feelings doesn't mean it will get rid of them forever. People need to understand that there are other ways of dealing with these feelings such as seeing a doctor who can prescribe you with medication or refer you to a therapist. 

I understand that there is nothing more difficult than giving up smoking, but with lots of determination and support from friends and family it is achievable. 

If a large amount of former smokers were to lead by example and show their support, current users may follow in their footsteps to help put a ban on smoking.

Effects of smoking

Every year thousands of people from around the world die from diseases caused buy smoking.

Most of these diseases are cancerous, and can cause heavy users to be fifteen times more susceptible to getting any type of cancer. 

The most common type is lung cancer this is where the lungs get filled up with so much tar that it starts to form a lump within the throat.

 Over time the lump will start to grow and turn into an incurable disease, with cigarette smokers making up approximately 90% of patients with this disease.

Chemicals inside a cigarette can increase your heart rate and blood pressure which may lead to a heart attack or stroke. If you have loved ones that smoke, they could be at risk of having one of these attacks. Smokers not only put themselves but their loved ones in danger by smoking around them.

If smoking was banned it would help people live longer and healthier lives. Some smokers take this issue lightly, which is why they need to be  better informed about the effects of smoking if they continue to poison their bodies with this unnatural drug.

The innocent

It is estimated that people who die of a smoking-related disease lose on average, 15 years of life. Tobacco is the only product that has the power to kill half of its users when used excessively.

 What people don't realize is that by keeping smoking legal we are not only encouraging users to continue in harming their bodies, but are also influencing our younger generation to do so. 

The government should really take some of these issues in to consideration. Most members of the public who are non smokers wouldn't want their children to get pressured by their peers at school, where smoking is considered a "cool thing" to be doing. 

Exposure to second-hand smoke or passive smoking is another major health issue which puts others at risk. In New Zealand alone we have about 350 deaths due to the exposure of second-hand smoke and a number of diseases and illnesses related to smoking.

This basically means that you can still die when in contact with second-hand smoke. I think that it is pretty selfish of smokers to be passing on their second-hand smoke to innocent members of the public who have no intention whatsoever of smoking. 

It also damages the environment  through the millions of cigarette butts that make their way in to waterways polluting it and causing sickness. 

Introduction

Think about this for a second. Why is smoking legal in our society today? The effects of smoking on a person are so horrible and extreme, that there really is no reason for it to be legal. Lung disease, cancers, heart disease, and emphysema are just some of the harmful effects of smoking.


What intrigues me, is why would anyone smoke if they know it destroys their body, and why has the government kept it legal for such a long time? Many people say that smoking should not be illegal because it helps them with their day.


Its reasons like these that make it a personal freedom verses public health issue. But if what only comes out of smoking is pleasure, shouldn’t the government put health over pleasure?