In discussions of smoking in America, one controversial issue has been the availability of tobacco products in the free market.  On the one hand, smokers argue that making the use of tobacco illegal is against their free will.  On the other hand, health conscious citizens contend the use of tobacco and the harmful effects on society.  Others even maintain the ideal of preventing tobacco sales by implementing anti-smoking laws.  My own view is that tobacco is dangerous to society and that is should be banned from being produced while promoting healthier alternatives for our future.

My whole life I have heard it said that tobacco is detrimental to a person’s health.  Tobacco contains a chemical called nicotine which causes addictive effects which dangers our health as humans.  Ross Pomeroy, a biologist and writer for the Scientific American, argues that “nicotine is more dangerous than cyanide (Pomeroy).”  In making this comment, Pomeroy urges us to be aware of how serious tobacco affects our health.  Pomeroy is surely right about the dangers of tobacco because, as he may not be aware, recent studies have shown that according to the World Health Organization, “tobacco kills about six million people globally each year (Jacquette).”  Basically, Pomeroy is warning that tobacco kills a lot more life than one would assume.  While understanding the large social dangers of this plant we will understand that tobacco is one of the most deadly preventable deaths.  My point is not that tobacco is just unhealthy but that tobacco is a poison and should be treated as one.

While it is true that tobacco is just another plant, I still insist that tobacco qualifies as a dangerous poison.  By focusing on tobacco as a plant, people overlook the deeper problem of nicotine killing other organisms in our ecosystem.  Recent studies have shed new light on tobacco endangering the ecosystem.  According to Jessica Weeks, a Harvard graduate writer from Massachusetts, “nicotine is a neonicotinoid which harms beneficial species including bees, earthworms, butterflies and fresh water snails (Weeks).”  In other words this plant is harmful to humans and other life forms that we care about.  What I’m trying to get at here is why do we have tobacco in our life?  Yet some readers may challenge the view that tobacco should be available similar to other plants, drugs and chemicals.   Although I agree with people thinking plants should be available, I cannot accept the mass production of tobacco harming humans and the ecosystem.  

Many people assume that tobacco use is a personal choice.  Though I concede that individuals choose to consume tobacco products, I still insist that there are external pressures forcing people in contact with these plants.  I have always believed that tobacco has been introduced into our lives without consent in many different forms.  Every time a person goes inside to pay for gas at the gas station they are introduced to a wall of tobacco products.  I have personally been offered coupons for cigarettes while in public spaces.  Most children in today’s society are even exposed to celebrities using tobacco on television.  Major League Baseball even allows players to chew smokeless tobacco during games.  I find this to be a form of advertising towards the public that influences people to join in on the action.  Woohyun Yoo agrees with me when he states, “Celebrities generate awareness to the health risks of smoking (Yoo 49).”  Yoo’s point is that if we are influenced by other people to do certain actions then smoking could also be an action that we follow.  I agree with Yoo in that we copy other behavioral actions of people that we see or interact with.  We should be good role models to our future generations and remove tobacco from our society so these kids can understand how serious of a health effect it can cause on your life.  As a society we should destroy this plant from entering our life and damaging our youth.  The removal of products and keeping harmful substances out of the public eye is one of the key factors in lowering the use of the tobacco across our nation.  In sum, external effects can influence a person to do something that they normally would not do such as abuse tobacco plants.  

When it comes to the topic of free will with the tobacco plant, most of us will readily agree that you shall be free to choose for yourself to do whatever you like.  Yet wisdom and research surrounding the plant allow you to see its true dangers to humanity as a whole.  The longer you live the more you have to see the damages smoking can have on your health.  While interacting in everyday society you can consume nicotine in the environment without your consent which is critical to your health.  Professor Nicholas Gilpin, a neurobiologist who specializes in drug and alcohol addiction, agrees with me when he states, “Nicotine vapor inhalation escalates nicotine self-administration.”  Gilpin has found that being surrounded by small doses of nicotine in the air formed by second hand smoke will increase your chances of dosing nicotine yourself.  This becomes a major talking point in removing tobacco from society because when you are inhaling second hand smoke you are raising your tolerance towards the drug and indirectly consume nicotine without making a decision to do so.  

When it comes to making tobacco harder to gain access to some countries like Russia have taken large leaps forward.  Russia has agreed to ban the sale of tobacco products to people born after 2015(Jacquette).  I agree with Russia’s step forward by removing the hazardous product from production and sale to minors.  The effects of this law will greatly change the way we talk about tobacco and allows people to quit with a more forceful attitude.  In America, we have also changed certain laws to prevent younger individuals from using tobacco.  In the state of Massachussets, they have agreed to change their law from 18years old to 21 years old to purchase tobacco products(Tuoti).  Laws have also been passed in recent years to remove smoking from restuarants, public parks and government office buildings.  This may sound like a small step in removing tobacco from public areas but these small changes make it harder for people to smoke and spread nicotine addiction.  In addition to these laws being passed other governmental organizations such as the federal department of housing and urban development has announced its goal to ban smoking in all public housing(Jacquette).  Organizations have the power to implement strategies to remove tobacco from society and are making large leaps forward to better the health of our future citizens.  

Awareness of the harmful side effects of tobacco are being pressured onto individuals more and more every day.  There are many anti-smoking companies like “above the influence” which is a popular commercial company that targets teen smoking and other drug addiction issues in younger Americans.  In addition to these negative advertisements there are “nicotine craving” groups that act as a form of therapy for those trying to quit smoking.  Other forms of therapy include the “patch” or “Nicorette gum” which act as medicine to slowly lower your craving of nicotine.  Nicotine changes your brain chemistry and with these substitutions of nicotine in the form of a treatment can lower your dependence on the drug.  I agree with these forms of treatment because they work to lower tobacco dependence and this is what we should be spending our money on to help those with nicotine addiction.  As a society we should invest in alternatives as much as we can to remove tobacco from our lives for a healthier longer living society.  While being aware of the dangers of nicotine we can discover new alternatives to help aid tobacco users back to health.

When it comes to the topic of E-cigarettes and their aid in helping lower tobacco consumption, most will readily agree that E-cigarettes do contain nicotine but are a healthy alternative to smoking a real cigarette.  E-cigarettes, also known as E-cigs, are a new technology that allows the user to get nicotine but not the dangerous combustion chemicals formed from a lit cigarette.  I believe that this technology is dangerous to non-smokers but will greatly help current smokers who are trying to quit.  As a growing society I believe we should not encourage the use of E-cigs but learn to use them to remove the real plant from society.  In other words, if the e-cigs become popular it will then lower the amount of real tobacco produced throughout the industry.  The option for healthier alternatives to cigarettes will allow us to rid our addiction as well as clean up our society from deadly diseases such as cardiovascular issues, throat cancer and lung cancer.  

The standard way of thinking about tobacco in society has it that nicotine is dangerous but the decision is made by the consumer.  While arguments to this idea can be made, I believe that we are forced into this tobacco culture without knowing what we are getting into.  While looking into better alternative to cure nicotine addiction we move towards a more healthy society.  I do believe that people know tobacco is unhealthy but when you find it throughout all parts of culture it may be hard for some people to ignore tobacco allowing it to become a part of their life.  I believe that we should regulate and remove tobacco in our society.  If we weren’t surrounded by such a dangerous substance we would be healthier and better off as a society to grow positively. Until everyone agrees to keep each other healthy, we will still have tobacco in our culture and everyday life.  Understanding that tobacco is detrimental to our health, that it should be banned from being produced and how we should promote awareness on the topic is the only way we will rid our burden of tobacco use one of our oldest human vices.
