Smoking is a serious issue that should be illegal because of its harmful effects on the people who are addicted. Some may believe that there is little to no harm done by cigarettes but I believe there are many. Along with diseases and secondhand smoke, cigarettes make the person and the place smell, changes how your brain works in just eight seconds, make people run slower, and is extremely addicting. 72% of smokers are poor which makes matters worse because cigarettes are at average nine dollars a pack making it hard to afford everyday necessities. Cigarettes have ruined lives of many including the families of people who died of diseases caused by smoking and the family of people who are dangerously addicted, Cigarettes are responsible for nearly 480,000 deaths per year. Some diseases are COPD(8 of 10 cigarette deaths), emphysema, bronchitis, lung cancer, and asthma. Secondhand smoke is another very serious effect of smoking, between 1964 and 2014 2.

5 million people have died from exposure to secondhand smoke. Cigarettes have many chemicals put in by the company to make cigarettes even more unhealthy and more addictive. The people who used to be able to afford what they needed now can’t because cigarettes are their first priority and struggle to afford anything else. Smokers die on average a whole decade before non smokers. Smoking not only affects the lungs of themselves and others but also their own mouth and throat. Smoking causes bad breath, stained teeth, gum disease and different cancers in the area, more than 93% of cancer caused in a part of the throat is caused by smoking.

All of these effects of smoking is ending and ruining American lives and yet they are still legal. Instead of getting the next generation hooked we should make it so no more people die from this horrible invention. Restaurants have already made it banned to help prevent secondhand smoke but cigarettes should be completely stopped. The US should care about the health of Americans and make sure no one has a hold of cigarettes to make it a safer place to live.