Research Paper, Tobacco Ban

Emily McDonald

Mr. Quick

English

Hour 4

Research Paper

Ban of Tobacco:

In the past year, over five million people have died from tobacco use(Smoking & Tobacco Use). In the United States alone, one out of five deaths are caused by smoking. Imagine the entire state of Minnesota dying. That would amount to how many people die yearly in the United States from tobacco smoke. The cost of smoking outweighs the benefit that taxing brings in. There are many more negative effects that should be brought to attention, such as the medical industry, insurance, what cigarettes are really made of, whom smoking targets and the amount of money big tobacco companies end up having to pay due to the effects. "Giving up smoking is the easiest thing in the world. I know because I've done it thousands of times" quoted from Mark Twain. This represents why countries should not sell tobacco products. The government is allowing for companies to physically and mentally addict you to their products. They allow companies to sell products that will eventually kill you.

Cigarettes are the number one cause of preventable disease and death(Smoking). According to the Americans Lung Association, smoking is responsible for ninety percent of lung cancer death and eighty to ninety percent of emphysema and bronchitis deaths(Smoking). Smoking is responsible for seventy-three percent of chronic lung diseases(Smoking). Smoking increases the chances of developing coronary heart disease, which is the leading cause of death in the United States, strokes, about eleven different types of cancer, infertility, low birth weight, and SIDS. Women who smoke are more likely to have less bone density than women who don't smoke. Smoking harms every organ inside of your body(Health Effects of Smoking a Cigarette). Not only does smoking effect the inside of your body, it also affects the outside too. Smoking changes your appearance, it affects teeth, hair and skin. Smoking deprives the skin of oxygen. Smoking makes the user appear pale or to have uneven skin tone colors(Smoking Effects Pictures). For example, smoking can stain your skin and teeth, the way you hold a cigarette can lead to skin coloring of the hands and fingernails. Cigarettes contains many different chemicals, most of them lead to the destruction of collagen and elastin(Smoking Effects Pictures). Which means, the skin becomes more loose, saggy and will have deeper wrinkles. Even your lips will have wrinkles, since you have to use certain muscles when you take a drag. Another big area smoking effects is your mouth. It makes your teeth turn yellow. Long term smokers are more likely to develop gum disease and have more teeth fall out, they also have persistent bad breath. Smoking causes hair loss in both men and women, some people eventually become bald. New research shows that people who smoke are more likely to develop psoriasis, which is thick, scaly patches of red, white or silver on the skin(Smoking Effects Pictures). Tobacco smoke has so many harsh, dangerous chemicals that ruins your outside appearance and health, your internal organs and literally kills you overtime.

What is in a cigarette? There are six-hundred different ingredients, four-thousand chemicals are created when burned(Cigarette Ingredients). Some ingredients are acetone, ammonia, arsenic, butane, carbon monoxide, hexamine, lead, naphthalene, methanol, nicotine and tar. Other products that contain these ingredients are nail polish remover, household cleaners, rat poison, lighter fluid, chemicals released in car exhaust, barbeque lighter fluid, batteries, moth balls, rocket fuel, insecticide and material used for paving roads(What's In a Cigarette?).

Nicotine is the active addictive property within tobacco. Cigarettes are one of the hardest drugs to quit because of the nicotine. The nicotinic receptor in the most persuasive, because nicotine and the neurotransmitter, acetylcholine, bind together perfectly, like a lock and key. Since the nicotine molecule is very small, it freely flows past the blood-brain barrier and into the brain tissue. Once inside of the brain, the nicotine binds to the nicotinic/acetylcholine receptors with the midbrain, which is the emotional center, then the brain releases dopamine. Dopamine is another neurotransmitter within the brain, it controls motivation, rewards and addiction(Addictive Properties of Nicotine).

Along with addiction from tobacco, comes illnesses as well. People that smoke are sick more often than those who do not smoke. Smoking lowers your immune system. Smoking paralyzes the cilia on the lining of the throat and easily allows chemicals from tobacco to enter your lungs. Smoking also decreases the oxygen flow throughout the body(Do Smokers Get Sick More Often). When you smoke, only ten percent of what you inhale is exhaled, the other ninety percent stays inside of your lungs, giving smokers their notorious cough. It also increases chances of getting a chest cold. Another interesting fact is blood flow loss, fingers and toes go cold quicker than any other part of the body. Smokers often miss seven work days while non-smokers only miss about four. Since tobacco causes illness, insurance rates are higher and medical bills are higher(Smoking Facts).

If a smoker wants to get life insurance coverage it costs almost twice as much as non-smokers. The insurance companies want them to pay more because they're more hazardous than others who don't smoke. If a smoker goes to the doctors because they are sick, it's likely that they will claim it under insurance. When you are filing for insurance, they ask if you are a smoker. For insurance, they classify people as smokers as anyone who has smoked with a twelve-month period. Even if you've only had one cigarette, they still consider you a smoker. If you're using a nicotine patch or gum, they consider you a smoker. They want people who have no nicotine in their body. And if they feel like they've been lied to, they do medical background check. The insurance companies look at what you have been ill with and decided if its smoking related or not. On average, insurance companies check twenty percent of applicants backgrounds. The companies check backgrounds because smokers have to pay forty to one-hundred percent more(A Short Guide To Life Insurance For Smokers) . A person who is thirty years old and smoking will often pay a third more for insurance, and a person who is fifty years old and smoking will pay about sixty percent more. Of course, all insurance companies are different, they differ on where you go, your age, how much you smoke, your medical background of illness,