Smoking should not be banned.

Thank you for agreeing how smoking is bad for your health in all ways! Now I will begin my side for Round 2: Because smoking is a choice, it has become sort of a trend. You see people inner-city who smoke cigarettes because they want to feel good, then you have my grandpa who always thought smoking cigars was classy. A lot of times people want to try it out, next they become addicted. I've never heard of a "good" addiction that involves eating/drinking or inhaling. One poll says 74% people want to quit, but a more in-depth and interesting poll would be the one that has this chart: Percentage of smokers who want to quit altogether: 70% Percentage of smokers who will try to quit this year: 40% Percentage of smokers who will succeed at quitting smoking on their first time: 7% Percentage of people who will quit smoking cold turkey: 3.5% Percent of people who relapse into smoking while intoxicated with alcohol: 50% Average time it takes for toxins to leave your system after quitting smoking: 10 days Reduced rate of dying from smoking if quitting before age 30: 90% Reduced rate of dying from smoking if quitting before age 50: 50% [1] By observing this list you can see how many people regret "trying out" smoking and how many people actually succeed when trying to quit (only 7%!). Smoking is significantly bad for your health. That statement is no different than saying 'smoking ruins your life.' It's a drug that makes you feel good but in the end the good feeling is just an illusion. 80-90% of lung cancer deaths come from men and women who smoke. Men who smoke are 23 times more likely to develop lung cancer. [2] Smokers have bad breath. As many as 20% of smokers have ended relationships due to this. A smoker's skin looks unhealthy due to the chemicals in a cigarette. Smokers have brittle hair, and are more likely to go gray or bald than others. A yellow smile reveals a smoker. The discoloration is caused by tar getting stuck in the cracks of teeth enamel. Smokers also get yellow nails. Side affects of smoking are stress and consistent nervousness. It's really a myth that smoking calms you down. Etc. etc. the videos explain it all. Smoking causes others to suffer, too. Or should I say suffer-cate. When adults smoke around kids with asthma it raises the risk of the kid's attacks. Any people who inhale smoke have damage being done inside their lungs; this is a testimony of the ripple affect (sicknesses and deaths) that can be caused by one pack of a person's cigarettes. http://lh3.ggpht.com... Not to mention how many kids smoke underage. [3] Not to mention how much a pack of smokes costs. In my opinion, when a parent gets addicted they have to spend so much of their profit on packs that they can't afford other more necessary things, which creates broken families. Heath care--smokers tend to spend more money per year on it due to an increased frequency of illness. Like health insurance, life insurance premiums are higher for smokers since statistics show that smokers have a shorter lifespan. These premiums can be upwards of double - thus, thousands of more dollars a year. If there is an increase in health care visits, then there is bound to be an increase in medication costs. Smoking in the home can raise the rate of homeowner's insurance due to a higher risk of house fire. Statistics show that smokers get into more accidents than non-smokers, translating into higher premiums. The higher rate of accidents could be attributed to drivers being distracted while trying to light cigarettes, dropping lit cigarettes, etc. Smoking can increase dental problems, which of course leads to more visits and costs. Smoking inside the home can decrease the home's value "possibly by tens of thousands of dollars. This is due to smoke leaving an odor in the carpets and on the walls. In addition, smoking can yellow the walls, leaving the home unattractive to potential buyers. Cars lose value over time, it's an inescapable fact. But smoking inside a car can leave tough odors inside the vehicle, burns to seats and other damages. All of these can accelerate the depreciation of your vehicle. Statistics show that, on average, smokers pay less into Social Security and pensions because they work less than non-smokers do. As a result, when they retire, they will receive fewer benefits. It costs a lot of money to help keep the smell of smoke out of fibers. Therefore, smokers need to spend more money keeping clothes, houses and cars clean. This means more cleanings and more money spent on cleaning supplies. The list goes on and on. To see for yourself how much cigarettes cost for an addict in your part of the world, see the 4th source. REBUTTALS "I, myself am not a smoker, but I accept the fact that other people make the decision to smoke and I see the benefits of it. We, as a society are constantly looking to improve everyone else's lives, let them decide what they want to do, warn them of the dangers if you must but stop taking away our rights." My argument will stand that people should not have the right to fall into a drug-trap even though they may think it is fine. After all you just read (and watched), are you sure you want to keep exposing this threat to billions of people's lives? "It is a common fact that obesity is a problem commonly effecting Western society and causing lots of death through heart disease, diabetes and all sorts of other health problems." My opponent never mentioned lung cancer. His case does not prove anything because it does not take away the fact that smoking kills too and does not justify it in any way. "...obesity is a bigger problem than smoking, drinking or poverty. Should we ban fatty foods, fast food restaurants?" Is eating a burger addictive or harmful? Mostly, no. You are assuming that all food leads to obesity and that is not true. Do we need to be able to buy food and have good food options? Yes. "I would also like to state that a smoking ban is not practical. If you tried to ban smoking you would be encouraging more crime and slave labour as the tobacco producers abroad turn to criminals to sell their product." Yes--just like selling drugs on the streets is illegal. We can enforce the law and security. "People will smoke regardless of the law, lives will be ruined because people will get a criminal record for smoking a leaf and they will consequently find it near impossible to get a job." Not necessarily. Lives aren't literally ruined because of their criminal record and it's their fault if they got themselves into an illegal drug. Besides, less lives will be ruined because there will be less people dying from a leaf. "I have only scratched the surface, I have many more arguments I am saving for later rounds but so far I have explained why banning smoking is impractical, unfair and unjustified." Thank you for your argument. Voters will judge that for themselves. http://www.youtube.com... http://www.youtube.com... http://www.youtube.com... SOURCES [1] http://www.statisticbrain.com... [2] http://www.lung.org... [3] http://www.statisticbrain.com... [4] http://www.cancer.org...