Should Cigarette Smoking Be Limited in the U.S?

Should Cigarette Smoking be Limited in the U.S?

Over 16 million Americans are living with some kind of disease that was started from smoking. This makes me believe that the “enjoyment” people get from smoking, is actually them wishing for awful things to happen to them. I think that cigarette smoking should be limited, so that many lives can be saved.

I am here and making this argument against smoking because I am trying to save many lives. Smoking has been going on since the 1612’s as a crash crop to help farmers earn money. On average around 480,000 people die each year in the U.S. alone from cigarettes. Not only do people have to worry about themselves, but they also have to realize what they are doing to the people around them. Most people are also unaware of how much smoking affects their financial situation. There are countless reasons why people should stop smoking and I believe that they should be shared.

One out of five people will or have died from smoking in the United States. This is because of the numerous health risks that come with smoking. Smoking increases the risk of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary disease by 13 times when compared to non-smokers. Smoking is also the number one reason for lung cancer. A study done showed that smoking caused 80% to 90% of lung cancer in the U.S..  Smoking can also cause cancer anywhere in the body. Cancer from cigarettes can be found in the bladder, blood, colon, esophagus, kidneys, liver, stomach  and many other places.

Smoking cigarettes also affect women's pregnancies. The baby could potentially be delivered earlier than it was supposed to be. If a baby is delivered too early it could have lungs that are not fully developed, trouble with weight gain and it could have a hard time regulating its body temperature. Smoking during pregnancy could also cause premature death of the baby before it has even been born. Over 1,000 babies die each year from their mothers smoking. This is just the beginning of how smoking affects other people.

Smokers who live in a family household could be harming the lives of their children. Children and/or babies who are surrounded by smokers have a higher chance of getting asthma and ear, nose and chest infections. Children also perform worse on reading and reasoning skills when they are in a household with a smoker. When people are exposed to the smoke that cigarettes produce, they are being exposed to over 7,000 chemicals, 70 of those chemicals have even shown to cause cancer. This means that the smoke has immediate effect on the cardiovascular systems of nearby individuals. Smoking does not only affect the others around you, but it also hurts your financial situation.

On average, smokers who smoke one pack per day spend about $2,011 each year on cigarettes. That does not even include if you smoke 2 or 3 packs a day. It is also more expensive depending on which state you are in, so you could be spending even more money each year for an item that is killing you. When you also spend your money on cigarettes, it keeps the tobacco industry in business so that they can continue to deteriorate the lives of everyday citizens. Smoking could be one of the reasons that you are