Creating a ban on cigarettes in America would benefit the health of the general public because cancer, along with many other diseases caused by smoking, would decrease dramatically, smoking causes unattractive side effects, secondhand smoke would no longer exist, many products that promote cigarette-free lifestyles would increase in revenue, and current bans on smoking have shown improvements of health in specific cities
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According to Tom Head, cancer is the leading killer of smokers and could possible be the biggest issue connected with a ban against smoking cigarettes (Head). So many forms of cancer exist, however, the only cancer publicized is usually lung cancer. Lung cancer is an extremely serious, nevertheless, many people can forget that lung cancer is the only cancer damaging to the body for people who smoke. Smokers are also more likely to contract bladder cancer, esophagus cancer, kidney cancer, pancreatic cancer, or cervical cancer. The risk of receiving cancer is dependant on the number of cigarettes a person smokes a day, how long a person has been smoking, and the age at which a person begins to smoke (Infante). Cancer is more likely in smokers because of the contents of a cigarette: tar (carcinogen), nicotine (increases cholesterol), and carbon monoxide (reduces oxygen flow). These toxins are released as the cigarette burns hotter. "The tip of a cigarette burns at 700 degrees Celsius, which then breaks down the tobacco inside" (Brandt). With the heat releasing all of these deadly chemicals, people put themselves at risk of getting numerous amounts of cancer and disease. As a matter of fact, lung cancer, along with throat cancer and mouth cancer, would be nearly nonexistent if cigarettes were made illegal. Only 0.05% of people who have never smoked a cigarette receive lung cancer. Another cancer linked to smoking cigarette is mouth cancer. The risk of a smoker getting cancer in their mouth is four times greater than that of a non-smoker.
