Should Cigarette Smoking Be Banned?

Cigarette is mix between chemical compound that produced by burning of tobacco and addictive. The compositions of cigarette that dangers for human health are:

·           Cyanide    : is a chemical compound containing a cyanic group.

·           Benzene   : is an organic chemical compound which is flammable.

·           Cadmium : is a highly toxic metal and radioactive materials found in batteries.

·           Methanol  : is a fuel for rocket.

·           Acetone    : is paint cleaner.

·           Acetylene : is a fuel that used in welding torches.

·           Ammonia : is floor cleaner.

·           Formaldehyde                 : is a highly toxic liquid used to preserve dead bodies.

·           Hydrogen cyanide           : is a poison that used as a fumigant to kill ants. It is also used

  as a substance maker of plastics and pesticides.

·           Arsenic                           : is a substance found in rat poison.

The resulting cigarette smoke contains tar which causes lung cancer and chronic respiratory disease. This smoke also contains carbon monoxide (CO). CO is a poisonous found in car exhaust fumes. It causes of a smoker may have a sudden heart attack. This is a list of 10 states of the world’s largest smokers:

    1. China = 390 million smokers, or 29% per inhabitant
    2. India = 144 million smokers, or 12.5% ​​per population
    3. Indonesia = 65 million smokers, or 28% per population (~ 225 billion sticks per year)
    4. Russia = 61 million smokers, or 43% per inhabitant
    5. United States = 58 million smokers, or 19% per inhabitant
    6. Japan = 49 million smokers, or 38% per inhabitant
    7. Brazil = 24 million smokers, or 12.5% ​​per population
    8. Bangladesh = 23.3 million smokers, or 23.5% per population
    9. Germany = 22.3 million or 27% of smokers
   10. Turkey = 21.5 million or 30.5% of smokers
                                                                                                                     (WHO report, 2008)

Active smokers are people who are directly inhaled cigarette smoke, whereas passive smokers are those who do not directly inhale smoke, but inhale cigarette smoke issued from the mouths of people who are smoking. In my position, I agree that cigarette should be banned. Many reasons and evidences that I’ll explain in this argumentative essay.

            There are a lot of negative and danger effects of smoking. The dangers of smoking on human health are stomach cancer, colon and uterine cancer, oral cancer, breast cancer, lung cancer, chronic respiratory disease, stroke, heart disease, bronchitis, cough, emphysema, eye damage, etc.  Those dangers are for active smokers. But for passive smokers, the dangers of smoking are more dangerous. As information, smoking is not only harmful for active smoker but also for passive smoker. That is why I agree that cigarette smoking should be banned because it is harmful for another people who don’t smoke.

There are the dangers of smoking for passive smoker. The substances contained in cigarette smoke are 2 times of nicotine, 5 times more CO, 3 times more tar, and 50 times more chemicals that are hazardous for health. Dangers of cigarette smoke on pregnant women and fetus are miscarried fetuses, the death of the fetus in the womb, bleeding from the placenta (placenta abruption), and weight loss - 20 to 30%. And the dangers of secondhand smoke on infants are problems and respiratory disease; disrupt the development of intelligence, ear outbreaks, leukemia, brain cancer 22%, and etc.

The cigarette industry is one of the largest sources of state revenue, for 2006 only excise specified target state budget amounting to Rp 38.5 trillion and in 2007 was targeted at Rp 42.03 trillion. Growth in production of tobacco alone increased from 218 billion cigarettes per year to 232 billion sticks annually. That statement shows that cigarette is the most important economics sector in our country, Indonesia. If cigarette smoking be banned, so many cigarette industries will be closed. Those conditions affect many people or labors will lose their employment.

            It is very hard to choose about cigarette smoking should be banned or not. But in my opinion, I agree that it should be banned. Making a good decision must be supported by many factors, evidence, and reasons. It will be good to change this world from our selves first. The smokers must stop smoking by him/her self first. If they stop, it will not danger or make disease for another people (passive smoker). It decreases a rate of death. Thinking of economics sector, if many people smoke, it will be many cost that use or pay for health bodies.  So, the cost of health and the cost for industries cigarette have a small differences. It is better to stop smoking and enjoy the healthy life.