Tobacco products have been considered a global epidemic whose consumption has reportedly led to numerous fatal cases. Various tobacco products that cause threats to human life include cigarettes, cigars, hookahs, pipes, bidis, and kreteks, among others. Tobacco has the highest number of users which increases at a high rate. If effective policies are not formulated at the global level to curb the situation, then the number of deaths resulting from tobacco smokers will increase infinitely over the years. The annual statistics show that nearly 5.4 million tobacco smokers die from tobacco-causing ailments at a rate of 6 out of 8 active users and 1 in every passive user in the world. The main concern is that both the users and non-users of the tobacco products are affected. The nicotine in the tobacco products enhances its addiction. The addictive nature of the products makes its users reluctant and uneasy to quit smoking. Despite having several health problems and other effects, tobacco is globally legal. The call to ban tobacco has been raised by several health and government agencies such as Food and Drug Administration and Environmental Protection Agency but in vain.
Despite several threats and cautions concerning the related effects of tobacco smoking, the number of smokers is increasing with increased death tolls. The mortality rate is high in certain countries such as India which losses over one million lives due to tobacco smoking. Reportedly, in 2014 nearly 5.8 trillion cigarettes were consumed globally, a number that is on the annual global rise. In the U.S. alone, over 17% of its population are serious addicts while over 30% of smokers suffer from smoking-related ailments. Use of tobacco products poses a threat to humanity and thus the need to ban and illegalize its consumption should be implemented. Globally, the reduction in consumption rates has been tried by various developed countries, but banning has not yet been achieved. For instance, the Oregon proposed bill, sponsored by Mitch Greenlick, the state representative, on banning cigarettes had provisions that possessing more than 0.1 mg of nicotine should be considered illegal leading to a punishable measure of 12 months in prison or a fine amounting to $ 6,250.
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Through techniques such as increased taxation on the products, illegalizing the adverts that promote the product, implementing recruitment restrictions in workplaces, and use of smoke-free zones, the lifting of the ban has been tried that has been proved futile. Law enactments have also been tried, but that has not fully led to the abolition of the consumption. The ban should be strictly undertaken to reduce human suffering, save on healthcare costs, reduce carbon and ozone layer effects that lead to global warming, and increase human productivity. The decisions to implement antismoking regulations to fully lift the ban should not be idealistic as it is but be strictly enforced and adhered to accordingly and not as slightly as what FDA did to ban the manufacture and trading of flavored tobacco products like chocolate and cherry to prevent the youth from smoking. Various barriers of passing the ban such as the convincing and corrupting power of the tobacco manufacturers, the cost of implementing the ban as well as the rise of black markets for tobacco products that encourage smuggling and high consumption in hidden zones, should be identified and minimized through state laws.
Tobacco farming and consumption have various environmental and health-related concerns. Developing nations are the major producers of tobacco in the world. More than 4.2 million hectares of arable land has been devoted to tobacco plantation globally. Growing of tobacco in such huge tracks of land leads to deforestation which has serious environmental challenges such as water pollution, soil erosion, land degradation, and loss of diversity as well as increased atmospheric carbon compounds. Additionally, tobacco growing requires vast quantities of nutrients and chemicals such as fertilizers, pesticides, herbicides and growth regulators. During run-offs from farms, such chemicals may lead to soil degradation, eutrophic and increased alkalinity thus making water unsafe for consumption. Tobacco crops also deplete soil nutrients as they take up nutrients such as nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium. Moreover, during manufacturing and distribution, tobacco products lead to the accumulation of several tonnes of solid wastes.
Research indicates that the people who use tobacco do not like their behavior, thus calling for the banning of the product will help most people quit. Smoking is not done as a recreational activity, which means most smokers do not like their habit and have a wish to quit. Therefore, tobacco is very different from marijuana or alcohol. Research indicates that among the people who take alcohol, only 10 to 15 % become addicts, while in smoking 80 to 90 percent of the smokers get addicted to the habit. Therefore, the numbers of smokers who do not know how to quite could be assisted through banning which will help ensure that the product is no longer available.
Tobacco is associated with lots of health issues which results in complications later in life, and it results in financial constraints to the family. The use of tobacco increases the risk of macular degeneration which is related to age. According to the National Eye Institute, tobacco affects the eyes of the aged and can result in blindness. The condition which results is known as AMD, and it is common among the people aged fifty years and above. The mucula part is destroyed through smoking, and an individual begins to get blurred over time. AMD in combination with smoking and other factors such as reading or writing increases the chances of going blinds. Since smoking is a habit and cannot be stopped as one gets older, it increases the chancing of going blind among the aged.
Smoking is associated with type 2 diabetes, and it increases the complications of the illness such as causing the blood flow to be poor especially in the limbs. It can result in infections and increasing the needs of amputating a limb. According to the CDC, the smokers are likely to get type 2 diabetes by 30 to 40 %. The diabetics who use tobacco have higher chances of having issues with the insulin dose and controlling the condition (WHO Study Group on Tobacco Product Regulation, 2015). When cigarettes are smoked, the higher the risks of diabetes type 2. There are other health risks associated diabetic smokers and such include heart and kidney conditions, retinopathy, an eye illness which can result in blindness, poor flow of blood in the feet and legs and it can cause ulcers, infections, and amputation of limbs. It can also lead to peripheral neuropathy which is damaged nerves thus causing pain, poor, coordination, numbness and weakness.
Tobacco causes erectile dysfunction in men. Sexual functioning of the men is affected because of smoking. It results in narrowing of the blood vessels in all parts of the body, including the ones which take blood to the penis. Erectile dysfunction happens when a man is unable to achieve an erection or prematurely losing an erection during intercourse. The issue has resulted in breaking of many marriages since the men become dysfunctional. However, the condition is treatable, and it starts with quitting.
The women who smoke have high risks of ectopic pregnancy. The smokes from the cigarette reduce the gene of the fallopian tube. Ectopic pregnancy happens when the embryo of the implant is found outside the uterus, and in most cases, it can lead to maternal death, especially during the first months of pregnancy. Ectopic pregnancy results from the tubal environment and tobacco change the environment of the fallopian tube, thus risking ectopic pregnancy. When fallopian tubes are exposed to cotinine, the product resulting from the breakdown of nicotine, they deteriorate since the BED gene is killed which is necessary for holding the pregnancy in place. When BAD gene is produced, then the uterus gets ready for normal implantation after conception. However, the smokers have a reduced production of BAD which is found in the uterus before implantation of the embryo (Szyfter, Napierala, Florek, Braakhuis, Takes, Rodrigo & Ferlito, 2018). When it is not available, then the implantation experiences problems and gets attached anywhere, even in the fallopian tube before reaching the uterus.
Smoking can result in hip fracture. Depending on how frequent an individual smokes, it increases the possibility of losing bone density at a very fast rate in comparison to an individual who does not use tobacco. As an individual becomes older mineral density in the bone is lost. The condition is more common in men than in women. Osteoporosis is considered as a risk factor associated with the hip and veteran bodies. Though hip fracture can be replaced surgically, it results in substantial disability thus causing impaired mobility to the victims. Research indicates that when a person reduces smoking, it also reduces the chances of hip fracture. Hip fracture is worse among older users of tobacco.
The use of tobacco is associated with colorectal cancer which forms in the intestines. In United States, the second killed cancer is colorectal cancer. Colon is the digestive part of the human body, and it is a charge of removing the proteins, mineral, water, vitamins, and carbohydrates from other foods (Giovino, Villanti, Mowery, Sevilimedu, Niaura, Vallone & Abrams, 2015). It helps in passing the waste materials from the body. The digestive system is made up of different parts, where the smoke passed through after inhaling. These body parts from the mouth, throat, and intestines and are affected by smoke, and they become with time risking the development of malignant cancer.
Smoking results in Rheumatoid Arthritis, a chronic condition where inflammation happens in the joints of the hands and feet, and it is most common to women. The condition is painful and results in deformity or bone loss. Smoking causes the condition to develop at earlier ages especially in the early 20s. Smoking causes a decrease of effectiveness is some drugs that are used in the treatment of Rheumatoid Arthritis and also becomes a barrier to conducting healthy activities that may improve the condition. Smoking causes a fault in the immune system functioning of an individual. However, Rheumatoid Arthritis increases the need to continue smoking since it is a distraction to the pain an individual experiences when they have the condition.
The use of tobacco results in congenital disabilities which are known as orofacial clefts and these are Cleft Lip and Cleft Palate. Cleft lip mostly forms between the fourth and seventh weeks during pregnancy. The body tissues and special cells from the two sides of the head grow from each side moving to the face center, where they join each other, making a face. When complete joining is not possible, it results in the cleft lip. Cleft palate happens when the roofs of the mouth do not form completely. Smoking interferes with the normal growth of the child, and there are also other risk factors such as giving birth to premature babies.
The use of tobacco is associated with fertility issues. The products of tobacco are known to reduce fertility in women and to lead to other issues during pregnancy such as increased risks of miscarriage. A child carried a smoking mother begins to develop defects from the formation such as some of the limbs lacking complete formation. Most of the infants die when they are still young since the immune system of the mother is too weak to keep the baby nutritional and healthy as it is required. Tobacco destroys the sperms as well as the ovum, thus making it hard for the smokers to get pregnant or make their partners pregnant (US Department of Health and Human Services, 2006). The baby who results may be too small since smoking slows the growth of the child. There are chances of excessive bleeding during childbirth, and it may lead to death.
Using tobacco results in gum disease which risks losing all the teeth as the gum becomes too weak to hold it. Smoking cause periodontics, which is a gum infection condition and it damages the bone which is responsible for holding teeth together. It adults who smoke, it is a major cause of teeth loss. Tobacco can either be chewed to smoke, and in either case, it results in discoloration of the teeth. When the gums are weak, they bleed easily, become swollen, tender and red and the teeth fall off easily (Banderali, Martelli, Landi, Moretti, Betti, Radaelli & Verduci, 2015). The teeth which are left become loose and began to separate. It becomes hard to consume solid foods, and medical attention is required.
In conclusion, it is clear that tobacco has lots of effect on the entire society, thus the need to ban it. Through banning would not be easy, it can happen by implementing laws such as increasing the price of tobacco products to reduce their accessibility. Creating health awareness campaigns on the adverse effects of tobacco on the health of people should be done. The cigarette packets should also be labeled that it kills. In addition, the people trying to quit should be assisted. Banning tobacco will have both economic and health benefits to the society.
References
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