De Leon, John Richard S.

BSN III-A

Smoking should ban in all public place

Randy Atkinson

Watching people smoking disgusts me. It seems as though every time I go to the grocery store,
gas station or a restaurant there is either a customer or an employee smoking outside the door.
That is why I strongly support the local government’s ban on smoking in public places. Moreover,
most private business is banning smoking in their office buildings; however, some businesses still
allow smoking inside their buildings, which is where some problems can begin. Also some people
will do anything to avoid second hand smoke because they know the effects that it can have on
their health. Never again would I like to see people smoking in public.
Second hand smoke is very harmful to non-smokers. As a non-smoker I am very aware of people
smoking around me. I know that every time I am breathing in second hand smoke it is damaging
my lungs. Infrequent exposure to smoke will not lead to death, but I have noticed an increase in
people smoking and I am concerned about the amount of smoke I am exposed to. Second hand
smoke affects everyone differently and our family experienced it while bowling. The bowling
alley we went to had a section for smokers and a section for non-smokers. As every member of
my family is a non-smoker, we used the bowling lanes in the no smoking area. The problem being
there was no separation between the smoking section and the no smoking section. Therefore the
smoke drifted into our area, and began affecting my brother. It caused him to get a severe
headache, which ruined our family night. This is why I support the ban against smoking. I feel
that we should be able to have an enjoyable family night without worrying about people smoking.
However, people that smoke argue that this is a free country and they should have a right to
smoke anywhere they please. I strongly believe that as a free country we all should have the right
to do anything we like, as long as it will not damage or affect someone else's life.
Smoking is a bad habit that young people emulate. The more young people are exposed to
smoking the better the chance of them becoming smokers themselves, which is why young people
should be discouraged from smoking. If they begin smoking when they are young, it could lead
them to other addictive and harmful drugs. This is another reason I feel the need to ban smoking
in all public places. My friend Tim was only sixteen when he began smoking. Why did he begin
smoking? It was not as if he awoke one morning and decided that that was the day he would
began smoking, but it was the constant exposure of seeing people smoking. Tim worked at
AUTOBELL, and as customers waited for their vehicles to be washed and dried, they would have
a smoke. After seeing people smoking he decided to try smoking a cigarette. A few days later he
was smoking about a half pack a day, but then he got addicted and was smoking a pack or more a
day. The worst part was when he was trying to quit. Even now, although he no longer works for
AUTOBELL, people were still smoking in front of the stores that he would shop at. Most smokers
think that smoking is not influencing younger people. But younger people like to act as if they are
grown up, and when they see adults smoke they want to emulate them. Smoking is a very bad
habit to form and with a ban on smoking in public places, young people will not be exposed as
often.
There have been entire office buildings that have burned to the ground because people were
smoking inside. It is very encouraging to hear that more companies have banned smoking and I
hope that more will follow. Without cigarette smoke inside the buildings, they are more inviting
for non-smokers and safer for everyone. My dad used to own an awning company called
"Awnings Only", and one of his employees sewed the canvas for the awnings. When she first
began working for my dad she was allowed to smoke as she worked but after a few, very minor
accidents she was asked to stop smoking. Even though she only burned a few small holes in the
canvas tops, my dad realized there could have been far greater damage done. Without smoking
she was more concentrated on her work and made a better product. My dad later decided to put up
signs that read 'Do Not Smoke" so if he hired another employee and forgot to tell them that
smoking was not allowed, at least they could read the signs. She said that at her previous
employment she was allowed to smoke anywhere in the building and even while she sewed the
canvas. My dad made it clear to her that it was costing him money because of her carelessness.
After my dad made a no smoking rule and put signs up he did not have any more problems with
smoking in the building.
I am against all smoking in public places. Second hand smoke is the worst, and we, as non-
smokers should not have to suffer any more. It is about time that smokers realized non-smokers
have rights too. Every office owner should have to ban smoking inside his or her offices once and
for all.