English comp 2

Kromah

Sean Kromah

Salisa Olmsted

Comp 2

9 July 2018

Outlawing Tobacco

According to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, cigarette smoking causes one of every five deaths in the United States each year. One of the every five deaths from smoking could have been various diseases. Out of the diseases, cancer is vast because there are so many. Infertility in women caused by smoking is crucial because affects families. Second-hand smoke can also be deadly to those who breathe it in. Not only does smoking affect the inside of one’s body, but it also affects the outside. Smoking will create bad breath and stain teeth. Smoking is not worth all of the complications just to relieve some stress or lose some weight.

Generally, people think of cancer when they hear diseases of smoking, but no one ever thinks about what kind of cancers come out of the murderous drug. Oropharynx, larynx, esophagus, trachea, bronchus, acute myeloid leukemia, stomach, liver, pancreas, kidney and ureter, cervix, bladder, and colorectal are all different cancers that are caused by smoking. The obvious cancers of the throat are oropharynx, larynx, esophagus, trachea, and bronchus. However, people may not realize how the other cancers come into play. Acute myeloid leukemia is a type of blood cancer and bone marrow cells do not mature the way they are supposed to (“Acute Myeloid leukemia”). Since cigarettes have at least 70 known chemicals that cause cancer, smoking is the only related lifestyle risk factor related to acute myeloid leukemia (“Risk factors”). From my experience with leukemia, I have a different mindset on smoking than ever before. My grandmother passed away from leukemia when she was only 67. She was very important in my life and was someone I had spent tons of time with. When I lost her, I lost a best friend and I miss her every day. Knowing that smoking did that to her made me resent all tobacco whether it is smokeless or not. Another cancer that is caused by smokeless tobacco or chewing tobacco is oral cancer. Oral cancer is cancer the occurs in the mouth and it can be found on lips, tongue, gums, or anywhere else in the mouth.

Along with cancer, there are other diseases that one could obtain from tobacco. A few of the worst diseases are COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease), heart disease, and stroke (“Worst diseases” 2). My other grandmother smoked when she was younger, and now she suffers from COPD. It was very hard to see her suffering because she is unable to breathe. She is embarrassed to even go to church because just walking causes her to be out of breath. She does use a breathing tank, but it does not help very much. She struggles with her every day just because she chose to smoke when she was young. Heart disease is another horrible disease caused by smoking. COPD is the third leading cause of death in the U.S. (“Worst diseases” 2). Smoking causes blockages and narrows arteries, which means less blood will make it to the heart. Heart disease is the number one cause of death in the U.S. (“Worst diseases” 2). Since smoking narrows arteries, it can trigger stroke. Brain cells will not receive oxygen because the blood supply to the brain is blocked. This will cause the brain cells to eventually die and cause a stroke. Stroke is the fourth leading cause of death in the U.S. (“Worst diseases” 2).

Since 7,000 chemicals spread throughout one’s entire body and all organs, this can have a major effect on a woman’s fertility (“5 facts about smoking and infertility”). When a woman smokes she is hurting her eggs because of all the harsh chemicals. Since women are born with all of the eggs they will ever have in their life, this is crucial if they are wanting to have children (Gurevich). If a woman chooses to smoke, she is risking losing her chances of every having children because she could possibly kill all of her eggs. I do not believe women should be willing to give up the gift of life for a pack of cigarettes. Smoking can speed up the time women reach menopause by almost 2 years (“Smoking and fertility”). Women who reach menopause earlier will not be able to bear children which could cause problems within the family. Not only does it affect the woman's fertility, but it also affects man’s sperm. It affects the DNA in both eggs and sperm which could cause pregnancy complications (“Smoking and fertility”). Smoking can also cause erectile dysfunction which would make it hard for families to conceive (“Smoking and fertility”). Smoking while one is pregnant causes major pregnancy issues. Not only can it cause prematurity in the baby, but it can also cause decreased oxygen to the baby, faster heart rate, lung problems, SIDS (sudden infant death syndrome), and even a miscarriage (“Smoking during pregnancy”). This will also cause problems within couples and families that could potentially tear people apart.

Equally as dangerous as smoking is secondhand smoke. Secondhand smoke is when someone is smoking and a nonsmoker inhales the smoke. This is unfair to those around smokers. The non-smokers are contaminated with all of the 7,000 chemicals that a smoker is contaminated with. Not only are adults affected, but children who are surrounded by smokers are affected. According to the American Cancer Society, smoking around children is linked to causing them brain tumors, liver cancer, lymphoma, and leukemia. Not only may it cause these diseases for children, but if one is to smoke around their child, studies show that their child will be sick more often, have more lung infections, have more ear infections, and have shortness of breath (“Health risks of secondhand smoke”). Although few of these problems may not seem like a big deal, when all of the doctor visits, missing school, and discomfort in a child’s life add up, it may affect the child or parents. Also, according to the American Cancer Society, secondhand smoke can cause mental illnesses like depression. They do not have much information on mental illnesses and secondhand smoke, but they are researching it. Not only is there secondhand smoke, but there is also something called thirdhand smoke. Thirdhand smoke is when a person smokes and the smoke residue stays in their hair, clothing, carpet, or other goods (“Secondhand Smoke”). Thirdhand smoke does not seem harmful, but it can be, especially to children (“Secondhand Smoke”). People usually do not think about the harmful chemicals they are putting into the air when they are smoking. The smoke stays in the air for hours upon hours, which can mean hundreds of people can pass through the dangerous air (“Secondhand Smoke”). Also, I have never heard of thirdhand smoke, and I assume many people have never heard of it either. Without having knowledge about thirdhand smoke, smokers will likely return to their children after smoking and infect the air they breathe. Children will also breathe in the smoke from the clothes or hair of family members. This can cause many diseases in children and people just passing by.

Together with intoxicating the air, cigarettes are bad for the environment. Many people do not think of the environmental factor of smoking, but only the physical harm it does to one’s body. Like I have said before, cigarettes have thousands of chemicals in them, many of them being carcinogens which are cancer causing chemicals. That relates to secondhand smoke, but many people do not think about water pollution. Millions of cigarettes butts are flicked onto the ground every day. These cigarette butts then make their way to lakes, rivers, and streams (“Smoking and the Environment”). Fish will eat the butts, thinking that they are some other source of food, and that can cause fish to die. Cigarette butts take about 25-26 years to decompose, but once they are decomposed, they seep into the soil and poison it with all of the harsh chemicals (“Smoking and the Environment”). This will also affect plants that are growing in the soil that is contaminated. Not only does a smoker fill themselves with thousands of harsh chemicals, but they fill the atmosphere, fresh water, animals, plants, and even the soil.

Additionally, smokers will usually develop something called “smoker's breath”. According to Dr. Harold Katz, the most immediate way that cigarettes cause bad breath is because they leave smoke particles in the throat and lungs. The smoke can linger the lungs for hours too (Katz). I have a friend who smokes cigarettes and it is hard for me to be close to her when she talks to me because of her smoker’s breath. Equally as disgusting as smoker’s breath is yellow teeth. Nicotine in tobacco products turns yellow when it mixes with oxygen. Tar is also in tobacco products and these two harsh chemicals leach into the enamel of teeth causing a yellow/brown color (“Tobacco stains on teeth”). Like I said before, smoking causes many diseases. Gum disease is another disease smoking can lead to (“Smoking and oral health”). The gums become affected because smoking causes lack of oxygen in the bloodstream, so the gums cannot heal. This will cause more plaque to appear on teeth which can cause gum disease (“Smoking and oral health”). Not only is smoking hurting the body, it is also making a person look unattractive when they either go to speak to a person or smile.

Furthermore, if one chooses to smoke, they have to deal with the high prices of cigarettes. Since smokers spend about $5 on a pack of cigarettes, they will usually spend about $1,500 a year on cigarettes, while in New York a person will spend $3,300 a year (“Do smokers know”). I know that I would not like to spend that kind of money on something that is just killing me. Of course, this is good for the tobacco industry, but with all that money that people are wasting on products that are bringing no good to their lives, they could be using it for useful things. With the thousands of dollars, people spend on smoking, someone could pay off debts, buy a car, and many other things that would help them in life.

Even though there are many reasons as to why one should not use tobacco, there are a few answers to why people do it. Smoking can reduce stress, but only for a short period of time (“Smoking to relieve tension”). Many people may believe that smoking eliminates stress and depression altogether, but what they do not know is that is not a permanent cure. People believe that smoking relieves their stress, and they need to take a break and smoke a cigarette. However, it is not scientifically proven. A person will smoke a cigarette to relieve stress in their life, it might relieve the stress for a little, but the stress will come back and that person will think they need another cigarette. Instead of taking a smoke break when one is feeling stress, there are other options on should consider. Finding a hobby, exercising, or just trying something new with life can get a person’s mind off tobacco.

Another reason why people chose smoking is weight loss. Since smoking increases one’s heart rate, this could be the reason as to why people who smoke lose more weight (“Consequences of smoking”). Since both of my grandparents were smokers, I noticed that they were very skinny. I now know why they were so skinny. It is sad to see the people you love become skinny because of the unhealthy choices that they were making. I believe that this is a very unhealthy way to lose weight and that there are better alternatives. However, I know that once people stop smoking they are more likely to gain weight. My aunt tried to stop smoking and gained so much weight. Since she was used to smoking and having something in her mouth, I believe that she filled the void with food. After she gained all that weight, she started smoking again. Smoking does not fill one up to where they have no desire to eat but decreases their intake of calories (“Consequences of smoking”). Adolescent females are more likely to smoke if they are overweight. The reason for this is because they think that smoking will help them lose weight (“Consequences of smoking”). In my high school, I do not think girls thought about weight loss, they just did it to look cool and fit in. It is sad that males and females would smoke to lose weight when they could lose weight in a more healthy way. Better options of losing weight would be eating correctly and working out on a regular basis. Being healthy and being skinny are two different things.

Tobacco is a product that creates many jobs and brings in tons of money. Without tobacco farms, people would be without jobs. Since the government got out of the tobacco business, tobacco farmers are able to grow as much tobacco as they want. The government had a cap on the quota of how much tobacco the farmers could grow, but now they are free to grow however much they want (“U.S. Tobacco Farming”). According to TJ Vaughn, a tobacco farmer, a reasonable acre of corn is $100 and for tobacco its $1,000 to $1,500. Having a family that farms, this affects our family, but in a better way. We do not grow tobacco, but it could definitely be something that my family could consider for the future. According to Rod Kuegel, a fourth generation Kentucky grower, says that right now is the most profitable time in his entire life to be a tobacco farmer (U.S. Tobacco Farming”). Like I said before, the government used to put a quota on how much tobacco a farmer could grow so the supply would be low and demand would be high (U.S. Tobacco Farming”). Now the supply and demand for tobacco is high, so there is no need to put a quota on it. Other countries promote cigarette smoking like what is now illegal in the U.S. Therefore, tobacco is a product that other countries are wanting from us now. More than 60 percent of the tobacco grown here is sent overseas (U.S. Tobacco Farming”). This is putting even more people at threat for the many diseases and horrible things that are bound to happen from smoking. At the same time, our country is making money and allies with other countries. It is great that our country is thriving, but not in ways that we should necessarily be proud of. Instead of farming tobacco, we should just stick our normal crops that we usually grow and the crops that are not killing us. We should keep growing corn, beans, and other foods to feed our people and third world countries. Farmers are using land irresponsibly when we could be making a difference.

In conclusion, smoking has many concerns. People who chose to smoke are putting themselves in a situation that could end their lives. They develop several diseases and cancer. Not only could they develop many diseases, but it causes trouble in starting families. There are also problems that people who do not smoke but can contract from smokers. Secondhand, and thirdhand, smoke are both unfair to nonsmokers because the smoke is spread into their bodies. Smoking also causes bad breath and stained teeth, which is unattractive to most people. However, tobacco can bring good into a person’s life. People will choose to smoke because they think that their stress level will decrease. Also, people believe weight loss will come out of it. The best reason for tobacco to be grown and sold is because of the farmers and job. Even though there are a few good things about tobacco, the number of horrible things that can happen to people. Tobacco should be outlawed so that innocent people can keep their lives and families can remain happy.

Work Cited

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