Debate: secondhand smoke in public places

Debate: Second-Hand Smoke in Public Places Being the independent country that the United States has become, there has also been the controversial topics for debate: abortions, use of handguns, and smoking in public. Smoking does a lot of things such as cause air pollution, harming nonsmokers, and harming the smokers themselves. The biggest problems are the locations for controversial smoking which is restaurants and movie theaters. Second-hand smoke, also known as passive smoke, is the combination of smoke from the end of the cigarette and the smoke exhaled from the smoker. Being around second-hand smoke is an involuntary way of smoking the actual cigarettes or cigars. Secondhand smoke can be obtained in homes, restaurants, and closed in spaces. Even if the smoker is in another room or in the smoking section of a building, there is the chance for second-hand smoke (Carmona, 2006). Second-hand smoke is a hazard to the health of the entire public. Among other things, the smell of the smoke sticks to clothing and hair which lingers almost permanently. The smoke can also create very serious health problems. When smokers choose to continue with the habit of lighting up, the related side effects are to be expected. Smokers should not be surprised if they become ill with asthma, lung cancer, heart disease, and other diseases. It just isn’t fair for nonsmokers to suffer those same side effects. Nonsmokers chose not to light up so that they could possibly live longer and live healthier, and they should not have to choose between being around the smoke or not going to public places. Non-smokers have the right to socialize in any restaurant or bar without having to be subjected to the harmful effects of second-hand smoke. With so many harsh statistics out there about second-hand smoke, why is the society still allowing people to smoke in public places, literally killing those who choose not to smoke? The statistics as noted on the Center for Disease Control website is alarming but reality. The fact that first-hand and second-hand smoke is listed on this website should be the key to prevent smokers from harming others. The risk of developing lung cancer due to tobacco smoke is 1 in 1, 000 for nonsmokers and 2 in 1, 000 for nonsmoking spouses of smokers. However, the risk for smokers is 70 in every 1, 000. Passive smoking causes between 150, 000 and 300, 000 cases of bronchitis, pneumonia and similar infections in children less than 18 months old and worsens the condition of between 200, 000 and 1 million asthmatic children. There is not reason to people to smoke in one part of a restaurant and not to allow it in another when eventually the nonsmoking section breathes in the smoke (Carmona, 2006). In conclusion, second-hand smoke is obviously a harmful agent that can kill a large number of people. There should not be an option for people to smoke in public due to the effects it has on smokers as well as nonsmokers. The only real solution is to ban it from all public places. Each person has rights but no one has the right to harm others. References Carmona, Richard H. in association with the Center for Disease Control and Prevention. (2006). Secondhand Smoke: What it means to you. Rockville, MD: U. S Department of Health and Human Services. Goldberg, Raymond. (2006). Taking Sides. Dubuque, Iowa: McGraw-Hill Contemporary Learning Series.