THE ILLEGALIZATION OF THE PUBLIC CONSUMPTION OF TOBACCO

The sole existence of tobacco is known to be very dangerous for it

consists nicotine which makes it very addictive that people who smoke would

have a hard time quitting. Tobacco consumption has drastically inflated over

the past years; despite the fact that is has no known medical value.

One reason to illegalize the public consumption of tobacco is its negative

health effects. In fact, according to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA),

tobacco plant itself contains harmful chemicals right from the start, including

highly addictive nicotine. In addition to nicotine, toxic chemicals like cadmium

and lead are often found in the soil where tobacco plants grow, and fertilizers

often contain nitrates. In our society today, smoking is considered to be the

heftiest and the most formidable concern to our health, that according to

Tobacco Atlas, every year; there are about 20,000 smoking-related deaths in

the country. Approximately 10 Filipinos die every hour due to tobacco-related

diseases. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, smoking

causes about 90% (or 9 out of 10) of all lung cancer deaths. Moreover, the

risk of dying from cigarette smoking has increased over the last 50 years in

the Philippines. On the other hand, some people may live without so much

bad cough but only less percent of the smokers have that. Moderate alcohol

consumption, rather, has been shown to thin blood, lower the heart rate and

relax people. Tobacco does the complete opposite. However, these risks

caused by smoking does not only affect the users but also the people that
surround them, since they are the ones to inhale the second-hand smoke that

are emitted by the smoker. Non-smokers who inhale second-hand smoke are

exposed to the same health risks that of smokers. Second-hand smoke harms

children and adults, and the only way to fully protect nonsmokers is to

eliminate smoking in all homes, worksites, and public places. There is no risk-

free level of secondhand smoke exposure; even brief exposure can be harmful

to health.

Second, since tobacco is addicting to use, this causes the people to

smoke more and buy more cigarettes, wherein this worsens the poverty of

people.