Smoke Signal















Aaron T.D. Siegel








Smoking in public is unethical. All that cigarettes give people is pain and suffering. If they want to smoke it is their decision, but if they’re in public they’re endangering others as well. The secondhand-smoke is just as horrible as smoking a cigarette. If it gets in other people’s lungs it will still damage their repertory system and will make them cough.


The fumes from a cigarette smell disgusting to the general population and hinder their enjoyment of the area. Every time I walk by a smoker I hold my breath, I shouldn’t have to do that. It ruins nice places by making them smoggy and littered. The butts of cigarettes are everywhere and are ruining the environment. For example, my neighbor is a heavy smoker and the butts are all around the street. They even end up in my backyard, driveway, and sidewalk.


Smoking is now one of the top causes of death in the U.S. because it causes various cancers and diseases. Inside a cigarette there are over 2000 chemicals and many of them are cancerous. Also inside a cigarette is cyanide and tar which ruins the body. The tar builds up in the lungs and it has nowhere to go. Every time I see someone partaking in a cigarette I ask myself one question, "How can you take a piece of paper, fill it with poison, light it on fire and breathe the smoke?"


Using cigarettes also has a major negative social effect. People become anti-social, unattractive, they smell and they look bad, depressed, and grouchy. When they smoke people may not want to be around them and may never look at them in the same way again. They may drive their only friends away for a measly pack of cigs, just look at it those terms.


Smoking is a very avoidable thing. I know that it is highly addictive, but the price paid is more than that $5.00; it’s paid with friends and with life. They are hurting themselves, but they can stop, no matter how hard it is. There are various medications to help. If people don’t stop they will end up taking up a hospital bed that could have been used for an unavoidable tragedy. People are hurting themselves if they smoke.


There are many solutions to the smoking issue however. To stop smoking there are nicotine patches and pills. There is also experimental hypnosis which has worked in many cases. The government can stop people from smoking by increasing the tax on cigarettes. This way people will not have the money and stop smoking. There is, as always, a slight downside to this solution. The downside is that people may do more to get the cigarettes, and become homeless or in debt. The cities can also put up no smoking signs in parks and restaurants to reduce discomfort and stress among the public. This will work because people follow the no-smoking rule. Smoking is just unethical and people need to at least make an honest attempt to stop, they need to try. If the smoking issue is not addressed properly more people will die and America will be at the mercy of smoking.










-Aaron Siegel