Ban Cigarette Smoking the Same as Herion Consumption, Article Review Example

The Need for a Nation-wide Ban on Cigarettes

While few would debate the need for illicit drugs, such as heroin, to remain illegal, the debate regarding whether cigarettes should be banned rages on unabated.  Nonsmokers often complain about breathing in the secondhand smoke of smokers, the smell left on their clothing after visiting a smoker-friendly café or bar, and the high cost of caring for cancer patients who developed the disease, at least in part, as a result of their own actions.  Smokers may retort that what they do with their own bodies is nobody else’s business and that they should be free to live the lifestyle of their choosing.  The current paper will discuss the negative effects of cigarette smoking – not only to smokers themselves – but to the strangers around them, their loved ones, and their unborn children.  It is based on these reasons that I will argue for a nation-wide ban on cigarettes and other tobacco products. In simple terms, if a costly, deadly, highly addictive drug such as heroin is illegal in the United States, why are cigarettes available at the corner store?

Highly Addictive Nature of Nicotine

While some may argue that heroin is illegal because of its intensely addictive properties, current research has demonstrated that the same argument can be applied to cigarette smoking.  According to DiFranza (2008), physicians have been traditionally taught that addiction to nicotine is a very slow process – often developing only after years of smoking.  However, DiFranza recently noticed that, in several of his patients, withdrawal symptoms can appear significantly earlier than conventional wisdom would have predicted.  Some of his patients were presenting with symptoms such as irritability and inability to concentrate only weeks after they initially began smoking.  Thus, DiFranza sought out a new theory to understand cigarette addiction.

While traditional medical theories have held that smokers are hooked on the pleasure they obtain from cigarettes, based on his observations, DiFranza developed the “sensitization-homeostasis theory”.  In essence, the theory states that nicotine initially acts to suppress cigarette cravings, but that the smoker becomes sensitized – that is, the effect of the cigarette is increased with subsequent doses.  The brain attempts to counteract the effect of the drug by altering the chemical balance and restoring itself to a homeostatic state.  However, when the amount of nicotine in the body dissipates, a new craving begins.  This, according to DiFranza, is what causes tobacco products to be one of the most highly addictive substances available.

As a means of testing this new theory, DiFranza created the Hooked on Nicotine Checklist (HONC) to determine how addicted participants were to cigarettes.  This is now considered the most reliable measure of nicotine addiction and has been translated into a number of foreign languages.  Using this checklist, DiFranza studied hundreds of teens over a period of three years and confirmed his hypothesis that cigarette addiction can develop far earlier than traditional theories would have predicted.  In fact, full-blown addiction often takes less than one month to emerge and often leads to repeated cessation attempts and failures.

Smoking can lead to Other Drugs

It is evident that nicotine is similar to heroine in that it is a substance which creates an intense addiction that is difficult to overcome.  However, many may argue that cigarettes are not as dangerous as marijuana, cocaine, heroin, or other illicit drugs and that smoking does not pose a great cause for concern. As a result, various researchers have studied the connection between early tobacco use and more serious substance abuse. For example, in a 2006 study, Khan et al. investigated the relationship between smoking and illicit drug use.  Researchers surveyed 4297 men from Bangladesh and measured cigarette smoking, and illicit drug (heroin) use.  The findings indicated that 59% of participants consumed some sort of tobacco product and 4% used some form of illicit drug.  The results also demonstrated that cigarette smoking is positively correlated with illicit drugs use and that early nicotine abuse may lead to the abuse of more serious substances later in life.

Health Effects on the Smoker

As demonstrated in the aforementioned studies, cigarettes are highly addictive and can even lead to more serious drug abuse.  But what, exactly, are the specific health effects that result from this addiction? Are they really as deadly as those related to more “serious” drugs, such as heroin? According to Chyou (1992), cigarette smoking is the number one cause of cancer and this disease was listed as the number two cause of death in American in 1991. Specifically, tobacco use often results in lung cancer, oral cancers, laryngeal cancer, and esophageal cancer and has been linked to cancer of the kidneys, bladder, and pancreas.  Chyou, Abraham, Nomura and Stemmermann studied the connection between cigarette smoking and cancer in 8006 American men of Japanese descent.  Participants were interviewed and their present and past smoking habits were noted. They were subsequently tested for lung cancer, oral/bladder cancer, and various other types of cancers.  Results indicated that the rate of cancer was highest with men who were currently smoking, was moderately high for past smokers, and lowest for non-smokers.  It was found that 26% of cancer cases were attributable to cigarette smoking and that the risk of cancer could hypothetically be reduced by 21% should current smokers decide to break the habit.  If the rationale behind outlawing heroine use is the fact that it is a deadly substance, then clearly, cigarettes should fall under that category as well.

Secondhand Smoke Effects

It appears evident that smoking kills.  However, many smokers still maintain that if they choose to endanger their own lives, that is their decision.  However, are they really only hurting themselves? According to Rosher (2006), Koon Teo and colleagues investigated more than 12,000 cases of acute myocardial infarction (heart attack) from all across the globe.  As a result of this international study, they came to the conclusion that exposure to tobacco products – either through direct smoking or second hand smoke – leads to a significantly greater risk of myocardial infarcts in both men and women.  Clearly, smokers are not merely putting themselves at risk.  Anyone they come into contact with – be it stranger, friend, or family member – is at a greater risk of disease because of their habit.

Health Effects on Unborn Children

While it has been demonstrated that smoking causes great harm to the smoker and those around them, another area of inquiry has been the possible effects on the fetuses of smoking mothers.  According to Gatzke-Kopp and Beauchaine (2007), many studies have proven the effect between prenatal nicotine exposure and behavioral disorders.   Gatzke-Kopp and Beauchaine also cite a recent report by the US Surgeon General, stating that maternal smoking can lead to adverse effects on the mother and the fetus, such as fertility problems, a higher risk of stillbirth, and poor fetal growth.  In keeping with these findings, Gatzke-Kopp and Beauchaine investigated the maternal smoking behavior of 133 women and the behavior of their 7-15 year old children, presenting with psychopathology.  The women were divided into three categories: pregnant nonsmokers, pregnant smokers, and nonsmokers who were exposed to significant levels of secondhand smoke while pregnant. Results indicated that any type of smoke exposure is linked to childhood psychopathology, regardless of the mother’s level of income, social behavior, and parenting style.

Discussion

It appears clear that cigarette smoking is not simply a personal choice.  In fact, due to the highly addictive nature of nicotine, one could argue that smoking is barely a choice at all.  Once hooked, the user is more prone to abusing harder drugs, and is damaging the health of everyone around them each time they light up.  This is particularly important for pregnant women, who are passing everything they are exposed to on to their unborn child.  Although most Americans see cigarettes as little more than a “dirty habit”, it is evident that smoking is more harmful than most are aware of and should be made illegal to protect future generations from such devastating effects.