Cigarette Limitation
Tobacco is incredibly harmful, and limitation is a hotly debated topic. Tobacco has been with us for a very long time. Even before America was discovered, there was tobacco. Many people have been, and still are are addicted to smoking. The harmful effects of smoking have been well documented, but tobacco companies still exist because of their power and the free market. Although limitations should be set on cigarettes, it seems as though it will never happen.
The materials in cigarettes all serve a purpose. They all range from helping the smoker become more addicted, to promoting the tobacco plant’s growth (Kenny). The tobacco plant itself is genetically modified, so as to protect the plant from various harmful pesticides and insecticides, because of this it carries an increased risk of cancer, even compared to a regular tobacco plant. The modified tobacco also carries the pesticides and insecticides into the cigarette, putting even more poisons into the lungs of a smoker. Also, the paper that the cigarette is wrapped in is bleached, many people do not really think about the paper wrapping cigarettes, but it is a very harmful poison (“What’s”). . There are numerous other harmful poisons in cigarettes. Cyanide is a poison that is created via chemical reaction within the cigarette. Cyanide has been used to lace drinks to poison and kill many people, and has infamously been used in a mass suicide in Uganda. Benzene is another chemical in cigarettes. Benzene is a type of crude oil that is highly flammable, and incredibly toxic. Benzene has been the cause of numerous cases of leukemia (“Smoking”). Arsenic is also found in cigarettes, and is one of the most dangerous chemicals in them. Arsenic causes cancer, damages the heart, and damages blood vessels. Arsenic also accumulates in the smoker’s body, causing other chemicals in cigarettes to be more damaging. Almost every chemical found in cigarettes causes some form of cancer. There are many more poisons in cigarettes, and one poison that is often overlooked is the tobacco leaf itself. The leaf is the product of a GMO or a genetically modified organism, created to be more resistant to pesticides, to grow bigger, and to grow faster. Because it is so resistant, they have been able to spray ten times as much pesticide as they had before, thus killing everything that touches the plant, including the smoker (“Tobacco”).
A pro-smoking rally cry is: smoking is optional, and breathing is not. Smoking bans exist to protect non smokers from the harmful effects of second-hand smoke. In the Supreme Court case of FDA v. Brown and Willamson Tobacco Corp., it was ruled that cigarettes are not pharmaceutical, and thus the FDA cannot control their production. In Lukac v. Philip Morris, the Court held three tobacco companies liable for $37 million after an ex-smoker lost his tongue from oral cancer. In the case of Gladys Frankson vs. Brown and Williams Tobacco Corp. the court awarded $20 million to the wife of a long term smoker who died at the age of 57 from lung cancer. This was the first time that the court held a tobacco company responsible for someone's death. In Imperial Tobacco vs. British Columbia, the Supreme Court of Canada found that the provincial Tobacco Damages and Health Care Costs Recovery act, which allowed the government to sue tobacco companies, was constitutionally valid (Clark). Cigarette companies only find protection under the statement, quoting Said “To a willing person, no harm is done”.
The legality and right to buy and sell cigarettes is not protected by the constitution, but is protected by the tobacco lobby. The tobacco lobbyists are among the most powerful and influential in our government (Said). Because of this, passing any legislation involving tobacco is incredibly difficult. The lobbyists receive donations from almost every tobacco company in the United States. With almost endless amounts of money to spend, the lobby is able to accomplish much more than other lobbies. The right to smoke is not seen as constitutionally protected. Tobacco companies have argued that it is protected, as they feel that it falls under freedom of speech, however, the court disagreed. Tobacco companies claim that smokers fall under unfair discrimination, as they are not allowed to smoke in some public areas. The complaints are generally ignored, as it is well known that smoking not only harms the smoker, but also those around the smoker, spreading the harmful effects of smoking to them. If smoking was allowed in all public areas, it would be more unfair to those not smoking, as has been decided in numerous court cases. Some people compare obesity to smoking, and find hypocrisy in overweight citizens who are against smoking. Obesity is in fact the leading cause of death in the United States (Said). Obesity is often compared to smoking as being even more unhealthy, and yet we, as a nation, promote tolerance of overweight people, over the acceptance of smokers. It is true that obesity is more unhealthy than smoking, and is more likely to cause death; However, obesity is only harmful to the person who is obese, whereas smoking is harmful to the smoker, and all those around him via second hand smoke.
In the end however, people want to smoke, and cigarettes are nearly impossible to get rid of. Tobacco companies, as stated above, have one of the most powerful lobbies in our government which, by itself, is almost always enough to stop any limitations of cigarettes from happening. Also, the government itself cannot do anything, as it cannot interfere easily with the free market (Said). Many people may also be against limiting cigarettes, as they would see it as the government taking too much power, and limiting its citizens as to what they see fit. Some proposed bans, such as raising the legal age of smoking from eighteen to twenty one were almost immediately shot down. The argument being that they can make their own choices, they can fight in a war, they should be able to smoke if they want to. If miraculously a bill were to pass and limit the usage, or amount of cigarettes, they still would not disappear, as the drive for addicted smokers to smoke more is so strong that smokers would do almost anything to get another cigarette. Smuggling cigarettes would most likely happen, as it is now with drugs. Cigarettes would be even easier to smuggle, as they are readily available in other countries, and could be smuggled across the borders quickly. Banning or limiting cigarettes would likely have a very similar outcome as prohibition. People would not stop smoking, cigarette companies would move to another country, and anyone who smoked in the past would continue to smoke regardless of the law.
The only possible way to help end smoking is through education. Getting out information on how horrible cigarettes are for a human has been shown to decrease the number of smokers. It has been shown that as schools have increased education, and promoted staying away from cigarettes, the amount of smokers has decreased dramatically. Cigarette companies are required by law to take a certain percentage of the cost of a cigarette and put it towards anti-smoking advertisements (Henchman). However, cigarette companies are infamous for targeting youths, and cigarettes seem to be romanticized by the counter-culture youth.
It seems as though cigarettes will never be cleansed from the world. However, through more education, and getting out of information, the number of smokers will gradually decrease. The poisons in cigarettes are horrifyingly bad for humans, and the overall legality of cigarettes seems flawed. The goal of this research paper was to inform people of the reasons for limiting cigarettes, and the difficulties with doing so. Education plays the most important role in freeing the world from cigarettes. Legislation cannot pass to limit cigarettes, but through teaching children about the dangers of smoking, they have a higher chance of staying away from them. Through simply informing people of what cigarettes actually do to the human body, many lives could be saved.
Works Cited
Clark, Tom C. "Supreme Court Cases on Cigarettes, Smoking and Tobacco." Supreme Court Cases on Cigarettes, 21 Feb. 2011. Web. 23 Mar. 2014.
"Cigarette Smoking." Cigarette Smoking. Cancer.org, 1 Jan. 2013. Web. 11 Mar. 2014.
Henchman, Joespeh. "Cigarette Taxes and Cigarette Smuggling by State." Tax Foundation. Tax Foundation, 19 Mar. 2014. Web. 23 Mar. 2014.
Kenny, Tim. "Trusted Medical Information and Support." Patient.co.uk, 16 May 2012. Patient, 22 jan. 2013. Web. 23 Feb. 2014.
Said, Sammy. "The Top Cigarette Companies." TheRichest We Follow Money The Richest, 20 Sept. 2013. Web. 20 Feb. 2014.
"Smoking and Tobacco Information." - National Cancer Institute. National Cancer Institute, 21 June 2013. Web. 24 Feb. 2014.
"Tobacco." - GMO Database. GMO Compass, 29 July 2010. Web. 23 Mar. 2014.
"What's in a Cigarette?" American lung association. American Lung Asoociation, 2 Feb. 2012. Web. 22 Mar. 2014.
Tobacco is incredibly harmful, and limitation is a hotly debated topic. Tobacco has been with us for a very long time. Even before America was discovered, there was tobacco. Many people have been, and still are are addicted to smoking. The harmful effects of smoking have been well documented, but tobacco companies still exist because of their power and the free market. Although limitations should be set on cigarettes, it seems as though it will never happen.
The materials in cigarettes all serve a purpose. They all range from helping the smoker become more addicted, to promoting the tobacco plant’s growth (Kenny). The tobacco plant itself is genetically modified, so as to protect the plant from various harmful pesticides and insecticides, because of this it carries an increased risk of cancer, even compared to a regular tobacco plant. The modified tobacco also carries the pesticides and insecticides into the cigarette, putting even more poisons into the lungs of a smoker. Also, the paper that the cigarette is wrapped in is bleached, many people do not really think about the paper wrapping cigarettes, but it is a very harmful poison (“What’s”). . There are numerous other harmful poisons in cigarettes. Cyanide is a poison that is created via chemical reaction within the cigarette. Cyanide has been used to lace drinks to poison and kill many people, and has infamously been used in a mass suicide in Uganda. Benzene is another chemical in cigarettes. Benzene is a type of crude oil that is highly flammable, and incredibly toxic. Benzene has been the cause of numerous cases of leukemia (“Smoking”). Arsenic is also found in cigarettes, and is one of the most dangerous chemicals in them. Arsenic causes cancer, damages the heart, and damages blood vessels. Arsenic also accumulates in the smoker’s body, causing other chemicals in cigarettes to be more damaging. Almost every chemical found in cigarettes causes some form of cancer. There are many more poisons in cigarettes, and one poison that is often overlooked is the tobacco leaf itself. The leaf is the product of a GMO or a genetically modified organism, created to be more resistant to pesticides, to grow bigger, and to grow faster. Because it is so resistant, they have been able to spray ten times as much pesticide as they had before, thus killing everything that touches the plant, including the smoker (“Tobacco”).
A pro-smoking rally cry is: smoking is optional, and breathing is not. Smoking bans exist to protect non smokers from the harmful effects of second-hand smoke. In the Supreme Court case of FDA v. Brown and Willamson Tobacco Corp., it was ruled that cigarettes are not pharmaceutical, and thus the FDA cannot control their production. In Lukac v. Philip Morris, the Court held three tobacco companies liable for $37 million after an ex-smoker lost his tongue from oral cancer. In the case of Gladys Frankson vs. Brown and Williams Tobacco Corp. the court awarded $20 million to the wife of a long term smoker who died at the age of 57 from lung cancer. This was the first time that the court held a tobacco company responsible for someone's death. In Imperial Tobacco vs. British Columbia, the Supreme Court of Canada found that the provincial Tobacco Damages and Health Care Costs Recovery act, which allowed the government to sue tobacco companies, was constitutionally valid (Clark). Cigarette companies only find protection under the statement, quoting Said “To a willing person, no harm is done”.
The legality and right to buy and sell cigarettes is not protected by the constitution, but is protected by the tobacco lobby. The tobacco lobbyists are among the most powerful and influential in our government (Said). Because of this, passing any legislation involving tobacco is incredibly difficult. The lobbyists receive donations from almost every tobacco company in the United States. With almost endless amounts of money to spend, the lobby is able to accomplish much more than other lobbies. The right to smoke is not seen as constitutionally protected. Tobacco companies have argued that it is protected, as they feel that it falls under freedom of speech, however, the court disagreed. Tobacco companies claim that smokers fall under unfair discrimination, as they are not allowed to smoke in some public areas. The complaints are generally ignored, as it is well known that smoking not only harms the smoker, but also those around the smoker, spreading the harmful effects of smoking to them. If smoking was allowed in all public areas, it would be more unfair to those not smoking, as has been decided in numerous court cases. Some people compare obesity to smoking, and find hypocrisy in overweight citizens who are against smoking. Obesity is in fact the leading cause of death in the United States (Said). Obesity is often compared to smoking as being even more unhealthy, and yet we, as a nation, promote tolerance of overweight people, over the acceptance of smokers. It is true that obesity is more unhealthy than smoking, and is more likely to cause death; However, obesity is only harmful to the person who is obese, whereas smoking is harmful to the smoker, and all those around him via second hand smoke.
In the end however, people want to smoke, and cigarettes are nearly impossible to get rid of. Tobacco companies, as stated above, have one of the most powerful lobbies in our government which, by itself, is almost always enough to stop any limitations of cigarettes from happening. Also, the government itself cannot do anything, as it cannot interfere easily with the free market (Said). Many people may also be against limiting cigarettes, as they would see it as the government taking too much power, and limiting its citizens as to what they see fit. Some proposed bans, such as raising the legal age of smoking from eighteen to twenty one were almost immediately shot down. The argument being that they can make their own choices, they can fight in a war, they should be able to smoke if they want to. If miraculously a bill were to pass and limit the usage, or amount of cigarettes, they still would not disappear, as the drive for addicted smokers to smoke more is so strong that smokers would do almost anything to get another cigarette. Smuggling cigarettes would most likely happen, as it is now with drugs. Cigarettes would be even easier to smuggle, as they are readily available in other countries, and could be smuggled across the borders quickly. Banning or limiting cigarettes would likely have a very similar outcome as prohibition. People would not stop smoking, cigarette companies would move to another country, and anyone who smoked in the past would continue to smoke regardless of the law.
The only possible way to help end smoking is through education. Getting out information on how horrible cigarettes are for a human has been shown to decrease the number of smokers. It has been shown that as schools have increased education, and promoted staying away from cigarettes, the amount of smokers has decreased dramatically. Cigarette companies are required by law to take a certain percentage of the cost of a cigarette and put it towards anti-smoking advertisements (Henchman). However, cigarette companies are infamous for targeting youths, and cigarettes seem to be romanticized by the counter-culture youth.
It seems as though cigarettes will never be cleansed from the world. However, through more education, and getting out of information, the number of smokers will gradually decrease. The poisons in cigarettes are horrifyingly bad for humans, and the overall legality of cigarettes seems flawed. The goal of this research paper was to inform people of the reasons for limiting cigarettes, and the difficulties with doing so. Education plays the most important role in freeing the world from cigarettes. Legislation cannot pass to limit cigarettes, but through teaching children about the dangers of smoking, they have a higher chance of staying away from them. Through simply informing people of what cigarettes actually do to the human body, many lives could be saved.
Works Cited
Clark, Tom C. "Supreme Court Cases on Cigarettes, Smoking and Tobacco." Supreme Court Cases on Cigarettes, 21 Feb. 2011. Web. 23 Mar. 2014.
"Cigarette Smoking." Cigarette Smoking. Cancer.org, 1 Jan. 2013. Web. 11 Mar. 2014.
Henchman, Joespeh. "Cigarette Taxes and Cigarette Smuggling by State." Tax Foundation. Tax Foundation, 19 Mar. 2014. Web. 23 Mar. 2014.
Kenny, Tim. "Trusted Medical Information and Support." Patient.co.uk, 16 May 2012. Patient, 22 jan. 2013. Web. 23 Feb. 2014.
Said, Sammy. "The Top Cigarette Companies." TheRichest We Follow Money The Richest, 20 Sept. 2013. Web. 20 Feb. 2014.
"Smoking and Tobacco Information." - National Cancer Institute. National Cancer Institute, 21 June 2013. Web. 24 Feb. 2014.
"Tobacco." - GMO Database. GMO Compass, 29 July 2010. Web. 23 Mar. 2014.
"What's in a Cigarette?" American lung association. American Lung Asoociation, 2 Feb. 2012. Web. 22 Mar. 2014.