Smoking Bans
Name
School

Smoking Ban Smoking refers to the tasting or inhaling smoke from tobacco products after burning them. Smoking is a practice that is common among all races and ethnic groups from all over the world(Brannon & Feist, 2010). Often, the phenomenon is practiced as a ritual in other regions of the world. Recently, it has been established that many young people in their teens and early adulthood smoke in an increasing trend. The most common form of smoking is through cigarettes(Brannon & Feist, 2010). However, there are other forms which include the use of bidis, hookas, pipes and shisha (Brannon & Feist, 2010). Tobacco products contain a stimulating substance called nicotine, which when inhaled or tasted leads to adverse health and other related consequences. It has been found out that smoking is an addictive activity which is hard to contain. Smoking normal cigarettes can be a foundation for more dangerous substances that include smoking weed and inhaling cocaine. Health institutions have come up with the possible effects of smoking both to passive and active smokers. Breathing problems, socioeconomic effects as well as chronic diseases like cancers are some of the dangerous outcomes of smoking. Several alternatives have been established to deal with the problem (Hyde & Setaro, 2006). Designation of smoking zones is one of the options that most nations globally have embraced with the aim of bringing down the negative effects associated with smoking. This paper seeks to establish the need for banning smoking in closed areas. This is in accordance with the fact that smoking has been a menace in the recent past especially to passive smokers (Owing, 2005). The paper also aims at identifying the possible impact of smoking and how restricting it will assist the government and the entire world deal with the consequences already caused and possible future effects. Smoking has been in existence for centuries now. Several reasons forming the basis as to why people smoke has been established. Most of those reasons vary depending on individuals involved. Peer pressure is one of the major causes that make young people indulge in smoking. Teenagers are the most affected individuals by peer pressure. The idea is brought about by the fact that most young people spend their time in groups (Edlin, Golanty & Brown, 2000). Activities are often carried out as a unit. Social classification is evident among adolescents that want to be like their friends or peers. When individuals who have been brought up under strict norms in society get the pressure of their peers to do things contrary to those norms, they hope to please the group members of the peer group they belong. Alcohol and smoking are part of a peer group’s activities; all the members of the group will want to have a taste of what their friends feel when high on tobacco substances (Glymour, Scheines & Spirtes, 2001). The ability of one individual to manipulate another’s principles is evident, especially in school going children and the college students. Lack of proper parental guidance highly contributes to this scenario. Once introduced to tobacco products, it is not easy to quit. To some people, they began smoking as an adventurous activity. A perception that smoking may place an individual in a certain higher social clique is a beginning to the unending behavior (Hyde & Setaro, (2006). Research shows that many people blame their risk taking for any eventuality that befalls them. However, it has been found out that young people model the same behavior from their parents and guardians. In an event where parents smoke in front of their children without cautioning them on the harmful effects, there is a high possibility for those children to smoke (Brannon & Feist, 2010). Given that the parents and guardians act as role models to their children and siblings, any bad manners they take part in will definitely influence negatively on the moral standards of the young ones. Leaving cigarette remains in the reach of children will temp them to have a taste of how their seniors feel when they are smoking. Children brought up in such a setting will have no issues with smoking. Parents who smoke may have little or no say against their children’s behavior towards smoking because they will be blamed for setting a bad example. Social media has played a critical role in smoking. Research shows that many people overuse the social networking sites to catch up with friends and get more information. Facebook is a reference point because it has been rated as world’s largest social network. Moreover, the younger generation has also signed up to Facebook, mostly because people lie about their ages in social media. There are few restrictions to usage. Friends can upload pictures and photos of them in social gatherings; this influences the ethical perceptions of the users. Some individuals end up trying to be like the people they see on the social networks eroding their ethical perception of drugs. Additionally, movies and music films display pictures of artists smoking tobacco products; because most young people learn a lot from celebrities, they end up copying them. The efforts of the government to ban the use of tobacco in media materials have not been successful (Brannon & Feist, 2010). Advertisements of tobacco products in the media have been mistaken; the basic idea of ads is to promote the sales, but some individuals get the wrong message. Misinformation has placed tobacco advertisements under close scrutiny by the health department. However, some countries have discontinued adverts on tobacco products; road shows and occasional promotions have been banned(Brannon & Feist, 2010).. Stress and depression are other factors that research has shown to contribute to tobacco usage. People who are facing challenges in life and have lost hope may end up illegal taking drugs with the thought that they would forget their problems (Hyde & Setaro, 2000). Unfortunately, the euphoric feeling is temporary. When one is back to their normal state of mind, the reality of life hits them again; it leads to heavy smoking, inviting the advent of addiction. Loneliness can invite smoking in many occasions, especially when an individual is separated from their friends and family. Living alone in an unfamiliar neighborhood can pose the likelihood of smoking to get high and forget that they were all alone in the house. Trauma resulting from horrific events normally leads to drug abuse. Some people do it without their knowledge while others are forced by the harsh social conditions. Tobacco products contain harmful chemicals that include carbon monoxide, ammonia and hydrogen cyanide. The smoke itself is harmful. A lot of health related impacts have been associated with smoking tobacco products; non smokers are never spared. Nicotine and carbon monoxide contained in cigarettes are known to accelerate human heart beat hence causing a high blood pressure (Edlin, Golanty & Brown, 2000). The more blood flows through the blood vessels, the heart gets stained. The end result is a heart attack or stroke. Once an individual develops heart diseases, the blood circulation is reduced while other parts of the body get little or no supply of blood. Since a human body cannot survive without blood, the part that received none gets paralyzed. Additionally, smokers have had their limbs cut off because of insufficient supply of oxygenated blood to the legs and arms. Lungs are vital parts of human body. They act as banks and storage tanks for oxygen. Tar in cigarettes form a coating substance on the lungs; the coats are like soot. The substance formed causes cancer. There is no difference between low level tar and high level because all of them have the same impacts on human lungs(Brannon & Feist, 2010).. Moreover, smokers tend to take long puffs while not releasing the smoke fast. Therefore, the tar components get deposited on the lungs. Carbon monoxide is a deadly gas that kills in spite of the sources. Carbon monoxide takes oxygen that is intended to be supplied to the brain, muscles and other body tissues. In the event, the body is strained forcing the heart to work extra harder in order to counter the effect of carbon monoxide. With time, the air channels may get blocked limiting the lungs to sufficient supply of oxygen; the end result may be death. Additionally, abundance of carbon monoxide in human body causes it to mix with blood forming carboxyhemoglobin; it is a deadly substance which may not be reversed if immediate action is not taken. The more the blood clots, the more it limits proper supply to the extreme ends of the body. Smokers normally experience irritation on their trachea, leading to a hoarse voice. The functionality of the lungs is lowered by the fact that the air passages swells hence blocking removal of mucus. This even leads to The buildup of waste substances on the airways damages the lungs because the materials turn poisonous. Frequent coughs and sneezes increase the chance of an individual contracting lung related infections. The most worrying result is the irreversible injure of the air bags in the lungs. Smoking causes diseases that their symptoms cannot be easily noticed not unless a user goes for frequent health checkups. Emphysema is a disease that causes the lungs to rot slowly. This illness is blamed for frequent bronchitis that smokers usually experience. Attack on bronchial organs leads to lung and heart diseases. Lung cancer is caused by tar contained in cigarettes (Glymour, Scheines & Spirtes, 2001). It is very unfortunate that cigarette smokers are not aware that tar is an ingredient. Although it is indicated on the side of the packet, most of them neglect to read it. It has become an activity that its effects do not bother them. Again, heart attack is contributed by the fat deposits on the blood vessels brought about by smoking. The arterial lining also gets damaged as a result of deposition of fatty substances on its walls, a condition known as atherosclerosis. Blockage of blood vessels increases the chances of contracting stroke; many people suffer several years and end up dying without responding to their normal lives. The human immune system is very delicate and the presence of foreign substances like tobacco smoke hinders its normal functioning. Smoking weakens the immune system making an individual susceptible to related diseases like pneumonia and influenza. Pneumonia is known to tighten the respiratory system, limiting smooth flow of blood and oxygen. Most people with the disease die soon after infection (Edlin, Golanty & Brown, 2000). Due to a weak immune system, any disease in the body causes a lot of harm because the remaining antibodies cannot fight it. Additionally, protective antioxidants reduce in the blood systems giving way for dangerous diseases. Further, the musculoskeletal system gets affected negatively by smoking. Human muscles get tighter limiting them to function normally because they are expected to be flexible. The density of the bone is reduced bymoking. Women smokers have shown a lot of damage to their health as a result of smoking. Fertility rates reduce among women smokers. Research indicates that a smaller percentage of women smokers have babies. In case a woman attains menopause earlier than expected, her menstruation is usually interfered with. Women smokers also risk the chance of contracting cervical cancer at an early age. Also, many have suffered from stroke and heart diseases before they reach the age of forty. Smoking also affects unborn babies, increasing the rate of miscarriage and premature births have been witnessed (Edlin, Golanty & Brown, 2000). Children born by women smokers weigh less which may affect their growth through the developmental stages of life. Such children may end up being diabetic at adulthood stage. However, smoking fathers can also cause dangerous effects to the unborn baby when they do so in the presence of the pregnant mother. Smoking can also increase the chance of unborn babies having cleft lip and palate. Male smokers risk a low sperm count. More discouraging fact is that sperms for male smokers can get deformed and its genetic composition injured. Impotence has also been reported among male smokers; the insufficient supply of oxygen and blood to the penis is the main factor. Again, blockage of blood vessel hinders this process. Long term effects of smoking include cancer of the throat, mouth, lungs and heart attack. Human teeth also get damaged by the contents of tobacco products. Some people complain of difficulty to open their mouths as well as painful gums. However, the perception that non smokers do not get affected, pregnant women and young children suffer. Asthma has been observed and found in many young children whose parents or guardians smoke indoors. Respiratory diseases have not only been identified in smokers but also in passive smokers who spend time in enclosed areas where people smoke (Owing, 2005). Basing on the fact that smoking is harmful to all people; it is advisable that it is restricted to smoking zones. Indoor smoking has more impacts on passive smokers considering that tobacco smoke contains radioactive substances that cause cancerous cells in human body. Additionally, heavy metals that include arsenic and lead compounds cause irreversible damages (Owing, 2005). It is highly possible for people enclosed in an area where smoking is taking place to contract more diseases than when smoking is done in the open. It also leads to insufficient circulation of air; uncomfortable atmospheric conditions are facilitated. There is need for the government to totally ban indoor smoking and impose stringent measures on anyone who breaches that law. Smoking has been taken as a social event for several years. Its addictiveness has always been neglected. It has been observed that young people end up smoking because of peer pressure and learning from their parents. The after effects of smoking may not be irreversible and are hard to contain. Some people end up in rehabilitation centers because of the conditions their social behaviors subject them to. Health effects associated with smoking may not be observable early, therefore, internal problems occurs which may not be controlled when at full blown stage. Unborn children suffer the effects of smoking by their mothers or the mothers staying around smoking areas. Passive smokers have also shown signs of smoking related diseases especially when smoking takes place in an enclosed environment. Policies and regulations governing smoking should be adopted by all nations in order to curb the deadly effects of tobacco smoke.

References
Brannon, L., & Feist, J. (2010). Health psychology: An introduction to behavior and health. Australia: Wadsworth, Cengage Learning.
Edlin, G., Golanty, E., & Brown, K. (2000). Essentials for health and wellness. Sudbury, MA: Jones and Bartlett.
Glymour, C., Scheines, R., & Spirtes, P. (2001). Causation, prediction, and search. (2nd ed.). Cambridge, Mass: MIT Press.
Hyde, M. O., & Setaro, J. F. (2006). Smoking 101: An overview for teens. Minneapolis, MN: Twenty-First Century Books.
Owing, J. H. (2005). Focus on smoking and health research. New York: Nova Science Publishers.