Should Cigerettes be made Illegal?

            
             Each year, the government passes numerous laws to protect its citizens e. "The Human Rights act of October 2000". Yet, one perfectly legal product manages to seize over 400,000 American lives annually (American Lung Association, "American"). Despite the efforts of the government to protect its citizens, the government continues to ignore the single most preventable cause of premature deaths. The vicious culprit attributed to these deaths is the common cigarette. Death, however, is not the only transgression cigarettes are responsible for. Cigarettes pose a clear threat to the public, to the economy, and to the planet. Without a doubt, the government should ban cigarettes on account of the fact that they are harmful to the economy, to the body, and to the environment.
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             The government should ban cigarettes because they hurt the economy. Essentially, cigarettes rob the economy of wealth. One area where cigarette smoking is costly is health care. Smokers often seek medical care because of the negative effects cigarettes have on the human body. As a result, the government spends a large amount of money treating medical illnesses that are, many times, preventable. In fact, "smoking costs the United States approximately $97.2 billion each year in health-care costs and lost productivity" (American Lung Association, "American"). Also, citizens must fund health care costs through tax. A wiser and more productive utilization of tax would be funding for schools. Despite the fact that the tobacco industry contributes a significant amount of tax, economic costs far exceed tobacco profits. Another area where cigarette smoking is costly is the working environment. Employers must spend more money on smokers than on non smokers. Statistics indicate, in fact, that smokers do not attend work as often, receive more health insurance, show reduced job performance, and require higher maintenance expenses (Tobacco).