Imagine sitting in a restaurant unable to enjoy a meal due to the cloud of smoke coming from a neighbor's table. The fact that there was not a designated area for smokers has put the smoker and the non-smoker in an uncomfortable situation. Smoking should be banned in public places because non-smokers have a right to clean air, and because second hand smoke is more dangerous than actually smoking a cigarette. However, smoking should not be banned in public places because it is the smoker's choice to smoke just as it is the non-smokers choice not to smoke.

President Clinton is quoted saying that "We've got to do more to protect people in public places and clean up the air that all of us share" (Rovner 571). For non-smokers, inhaling someone else's cigarette smoke can be very aggravating. It is bad enough that automobiles, processing plants, and other types of industries pollute our environment, but for a smoker to choose to smoke around a non-smoker is a violation of th

Second hand smoke increases the risk of heart disease and heart attacks by increasing a person's risk of developing blood clots. "Second hand smoke, the smoke inhaled from other people's cigarettes, pipes, and cigars, causes 53, 000 deaths a year, and is the third largest preventable cause of death in the united states, behind regular smoking and alcohol abuse" (Bernard 842). Jinsup Kim, M.D., reports that, "exposure to environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) raises a non-smoker's risk of developing lung cancer by at least 50 percent" (Health Article Magazine 65). The only effective way to avoid the negative effects of second hand smoke is to insist on a smoke-free environment whenever possible. Non-smokers can encourage smokers to walk outside to smoke and open windows to keep the room ventilated to minimize the consumption of second hand smoke.

In response to it being a smoker's choice to smoke, and the non-smoker's choice not to smoke shows that everyone is affected by smoking being banned in public places. Non-smokers choose not to smoke and are left alone, while people who

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Approximate Word count = 733
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)