Should the sale and consumption of cigarettes be illegal?

Mohammad Abdully
December 11, 2013
CLU3MO

Who decides what is legal and permitted for us to do and what isn’t, the government? How do a bunch of people that are old beyond their age understand the values of society and what is felt as a menace in our society or what is an advantage to society? The Oxford Dictionary defines illegal as the forbidden act by law, especially criminal law, which might be considered harmful to society or to oneself.1 By this definition, why are cigarettes still openly consumed in front of everyone on a daily basis, why are they sold at every convenience, because of the money? The law doesn’t involve a financial benefactor nor should it. Cigarettes continue to purpose a harmful environment for the current and future generations to come yet no legal action has been taken against it. By analyzing the financial burden, the environmental destruction, and the health concerns involved with everyday consumption of cigarettes and nicotine, it is clear that by definition of illegal, cigarettes definitely belong there. Financial stress and liability is put on not only to the user by to Canada and society as a whole. Environmental damages continue to rise as the production and sale raises in the country causing health issues to almost a quarter of the population. Cigarettes should without a doubt we considered an illegal drug and consumption and production of it should be shut down, effective immediately.
The environmental destructions caused by cigarette production and consumption provide insecurity for the current century and those that come after it and affects society as a whole. It is said that daily cigarettes toxins added together and the pollution caused by the butts and factories produce the same amount that 70% in Canada do combined.2 Cigarette toxins pollute the air almost as much as much as greenhouse gases do but yet no legal action is being taken against sellers and consumers of the product.3 Cigarette butts and filters pollute the entire country from west to east. This littering and pollution is causing irreversible damages to the environment and many organizations are aware of this are stepping in to make some changes. There a calculated 4 million cigarettes butts lying on the ground at street corners all around only a country with 35 million people currently.4 This puts the future of society endangered and proper steps are needed to take place to minimize this. Cigarettes emissions are produced with no advantages unlike greenhouse gases that provide the general public with electricity and heat.5 Arsenic, Benzene, Carbon Monoxide, Methanol are four of the most deadly and destructive poisons possible and all are included in the cigarette.6 This puts out emission of 8 tons of poisonous chemicals into our “fresh air” daily. The property damages caused by cigarette smoke not only to users but regular citizens are over $9 million and continue to increase.7 This begs the question that why on are earth are these 10 cm rods of death still allowed to be consumed and sold? For a livelier, healthier future, cigarette emissions need to be completely minimized from society and the first step is the illegalization.
The financial deterioration for both consumers and government are clear signs of that the consumption of cigarettes is destructively hurting the economy and society. Many people assume that the sale of cigarettes provide a blooming industry where the government makes countless of dollars over it.8 However, what they fail to realize is those affected deeply by the financial cost of cigarettes are overwhelmed. Health Canada Statistics say that many of the Canadian that are addicted to smoking (1 or 2 packs a day) are living in very poor conditions and many of them are under government supervision.9 The welfare services state that over 53% of their recipients are smokers or ex-smokers that use government money to