A Proposal to Ban Smoking in Public Areas

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A Proposal to Ban Smoking in Public Areas

Every year, there are over 400,000 smoking-related deaths in the United States. A large percentage of these are due to lung cancer, whose leading cause is smoking. However, not all deaths are smokers themselves. Anyone in the vicinity can fall victim to second hand smoke. These people, through no action of their own, can have their lives threatened.

This problem, which plagues all Americans, should have action taken on a local scale to help protect the health of the public. The Ames City Council is in the process of debating a city ordanince which whould ban smoking in all public places, with the exception of those designated as "smokng areas". A public place shall be defined by Subsection 142B.1(3) Code of IowaAmes City Council, Current Odrances, http://www.city.ames.ia.us/Whatsnew/smokingban.htm).

Several other methods for solving the problem of second-hand smoke have been suggested in the past. One method is to use air purifiers to clean the air. While this can remove some smoke particles from the air, even the most expensive air filtration system cannot remove all of the poisons and toxins put into the air by second hand smoke. Another solution would be to have separate rooms in which smoking is allowed, such as a lounge or parlor. This idea is also flawed, because for this to work, the rooms in which smoking is allowed would require entirely separate ventilation systems to accomplish the objective of protecting others (from the New York Times, 1/12/99, Public Smoking Ban: Alternatives?)

The need for this legislation is made obvious by statistics, as well as by example situations. As the Saskatchewan Institute on Prevention of Handicaps states on their web page about seco...

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...aw, rendering it useless. A fine should be set at $250, with increasing severity for multiple offenses. The current ordanance does not contain this ever important increase for repeat offenses, and should thus be amended in "Sec.21A.300 PENALTY" to reflect this change. It is this clause which will keep people from smoking in public places, and this provision must also be added to make the ordanence effective in accomplishing its objective.

Today, through out the country, and even right here in Ames, Iowa, there is an enormous problem of cigarette smoke putting people?s lives in danger. By passing a ban to make smoking illegal in public places, the lives of people who have been made to suffer from second-hand smoke will be improved, and people who currently smoke will be discouraged from continuing to do so. This will help to improve the lives of all Ames citizens.

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