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Should cigarettes be made illegal?

According to a recent poll on TSR, over 60 percent of students think cigarettes should be made illegal. 

This has sparked mixed opinions among the TSR community and for some a strong view for and/or against smoking being banned. But why stop at smoking, what else should be banned: fast food? alcohol?

What was once thought of as a cool and sophisticated past time, is now seen to be an addictive, smelly and often frowned upon habit to take up. 

Here's what the TSR community have to say about making smoking illegal:

Yes - ban them

Unfortunately, everyone is now exposed to cigarettes and smoking; whether it's watching people smoke, smelling smoke or smoking yourself. This doesn't mean that everyone agrees with it though, actually far from it. After asking over 2000 students on The Student Room, 1300 think that it should be banned; TSR user addyaxis shares their view:

I would like to see public smoking banned. It's a waste of resources and human labour and energy to create, only to pollute the air and create litter with cigarette butts everywhere.

Would this really benefit those that smoke at the moment though? tehforum has their say:

Ban ciggies, endorse e cigs

E-cigarettes have been all over the news recently, so are they 100% a reliable or realistic solution? Only you can be the judge of that. 
 

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Cigsmoking

No - definitely not

Some students that joined this heated (pun intended) debate agreed that if you were to make smoking illegal it wouldn't solve anything. z33 has said:

People gonna smoke anyway whether they're legal or not and future teenagers are gonna think it's rebellious and cool to smoke because it's illegal...

Yet again, students that are against the ban have stood by their opinion and agree that it's their choice on whether they smoke or not. Dandaman1 states that
 

First and foremost, it's my right to smoke if I want to. Worried about my health? My problem, not yours.

Wait, hear me out..

Although some people said they would like to ban cigarettes, they have taken an "it's up to you if you smoke" attitude even if they choose not to do smoke themselves. 

No we shouldn't ban smoking, that will only make smokers angry. I think they should do the following though:
1. Reduce the number of cigarettes in a packet.
2. Increase the price further.
3. BAN smokers from smoking outside beside DOOR ENTRY'S
4. Build designated shelters in university campuses - ban people from smoking outside these shelters. I'm sick of people blowing smoke in my face or smoking when i'm walking behind them. 
5. Ban smoking in cars.
6. Reduce the amount of nicotine in cigarettes.
7. Reduce the amount of poisonous substances in cigarettes.
8. Attempt to alter cigarettes so that they do not produce the same terrible smell.

Frostyjoe

Instead of looking to ban cigarettes and smoking we should be focusing on building awareness campaigns around it. User Mehrdad jafari has suggested that

There should be more emphasis on hazards and the consequences of smoking cigarettes in education to rise awareness. Banning them doesn't resolve the problem.

 

Should we just stop at banning cigarettes? Is this the death of alcohol too? What other things do you think should be banned? Get involved with the comments below and have your say
 

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What's the funniest opinion you've heard about yourself? 
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Article by lizzieking on Monday 06 February 2017
Last edited by lizzieking on Friday 05 October 2018