Although most recognize smoking as an unhealthy habit, it’s still an issue today. More should be done to prevent smoking from being an accepted part of daily life. It’s causing severe damage to us including children by attacking our health. More needs to be done to restrict smoking, because it harms everyone, pollutes the environment, and lays heavy costs on health care.

Smoking cigarettes is severely harming our health and causing thousands of deaths every year. According to Norma Chew’s LIVESTRONG article, “Three Reasons Why Smoking Should Be Banned,” it states: “Tobacco use is the major cause of preventable and premature death and disease worldwide; according to the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention… 443,000 smoking-related deaths occur annually in the U.S... ” It’s unreasonable to allow the leading cause of death to continue to exist in our society. It’s not only affecting smokers but the people around them which could include children, teens, and adults due to second-hand smoking. Smoking needs to be restricted, because it’s causing thousands of deaths and hurting everyone’s health.

Furthermore, smoking pollutes the environment. According to MedicalNewsToday, their article, “Cigarette smoke produces 10 times more air pollution than diesel car exhaust” states: “The air pollution emitted by cigarettes is 10 times greater than diesel car exhaust.” We’re breathing the smoke we produce whenever a person smokes a cigarette, and now there’s more air pollution in the atmosphere due to smoking. With more air pollution due to smoking, it further harms us, and the environment becomes less clean. By restricting smoking, it’ll lessen the air pollution which will lessen the impact it has on both our environment and health.

As more time passes with smoking still legalized, it’ll cost thousands for health care due to its negative effects. Recalling back to Norma Chew’s article, it states: “According to the CDC, this burden continues to raise, with approximately ＄193 billion spent annually in the United States-＄97 billion from lost productivity and ＄96 billion due to smoking-related health care costs, respectively.” Smoking is causing us to pay more than what we should be paying. It’s causing preventable health issues that could avoid these heavy costs. So by restricting smoking, heavy health care costs would be avoided.

With smoking still involved in today’s world, it’s causing heavy unnecessary damages that could easily be avoided. Although many smoke to comfort themselves, there are better alternatives as simple as taking a relaxing bath that won’t cause so many of these negative effects. If smoking were banned, then these problems wouldn’t be as severe as today.

<Young Joon, Ha Glen A.Wilson High School 10th Grade>