Cigarette smoking has been going out since ages. Today banning cigarettes has been one of the best anti cancer move. People have underestimated the affects of smoking like, shorter span of life and continued with this hazardous element. There are a few arguments that can be given in this aspect, is banning is the right solution to quit smoking?
Pros
The ban would deter a large population of the middle class or so who would from now not be allowed to smoke in the offices. Definitely thats a huge population, but the effect in true sense would come up when the lower classes of the society would stop smoking. Formal ban on smoking will deter the fence sitter to fall into smoking and will help reducing chain smokers though a moral obligation for their own healthy life and society as well. Having restricted availability of cigarettes will discourage people to start smoking specially which is common in today’s youth. Also, it will encourage a addictive smoker to smoke less cigarettes. Its definitely a good start, but way short of what is to be done to remove this big blot on our society.
Cons
Banning the cigarettes would just lead to black market. People who are addicted would find some or the other way to keep smoking and thus would turn to illegal sources. These sources will in turn have increases profits and the Government will have to regulate the policies around it.
Apart from this by banning cigarettes Government will loose huge amount of tax revenue and thus would have to increase tax on other things to recover that loss.
One more disadvantage would be, unemployment. When the demand of cigarettes will fall it will affect its production and therefore excess labour would be laid off.
Banning cigarettes is definitely a good start, but way short of what is to be done to remove this big blot on our society. But still the question remains, banning would stop addictive smokers from smoking? Why cant the Government just stop producing cigarettes and starts taking care of the issue from root level?
