Colleen Keating

Dr. Byrd

English 101-52

July 7, 2018

New Jersey's "Smoke-Free Air Act"

It was about 2000 years ago that people began to start using tobacco for chewing and

smoking purposes. Smoking has always been legal in the United States, and up until 1904, it was

legal for anyone under the age of 16 to smoke in New Jersey. In 1988 the age raised to 18 and

then again in 2005 when it became 19. The latest law was enacted in November of 2017 when

the minimum smoking age became 21. The strictness of who can smoke has been increasing

along with the rules of where people can smoke. In 2006, New Jersey lawmakers passed a ban

that made it illegal to smoke in indoor public places such as restaurants and bars. This ban had

made an exception for casinos, but since this ban casinos have made designated smoking areas.

There are also 19 towns in New Jersey that have made it illegal to smoke on their beaches.

These bans and restrictions have made it harder for people to smoke wherever they want which

has become a highly debated topic amongst New Jersey residents. This essay will inform the

reader why the ban is an advantageous restriction.

Smoking is hazardous to the smoker and all those around them. Smoking is very

detrimental to a person's well being and can often have side effects that last a lifetime. According

to the CDC, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, "[smoking increases the risk] for

coronary heart disease by 2 to 4 times [and] for stroke by 2 to 4 times". The CDC also said

"[smoking increases the risk] of men developing lung cancer by 25 times [and] of women
developing lung cancer by 25.7 times". However, smoking does not just increase the risk of lung

cancer; smoking increases the risk for cancer in the "bladder, the blood (acute myeloid

leukemia), the cervix, the colon and rectum (colorectal), esophagus, the kidney and ureter, the

larynx, the liver, the oropharynx (includes parts of the throat, tongue, soft palate, and the tonsils),

the pancreas, and the stomach" (CDC). To sanction smoking in public areas shows a lack of

remorse. States have an obligation to take care of their people and not to take action is negligent.

Permitting smoking in a public area where there could be children or pregnant women is

particularly irresponsible. The effects of repeated second-hand smoking are diminishing to a

person's health. For example, "There is no risk-free level of exposure to secondhand smoke, and

even short-term exposure potentially can increase the risk of heart attacks." ("Health Effects Of

Secondhand Smoke"). Moreover, the effects on children can be even worse "Secondhand smoke

is especially harmful to young children. Secondhand smoke is responsible for between 150,000

and 300,000 lower respiratory tract infections in infants and children under 18 months of age,

resulting in between 7,500 and 15,000 hospitalizations each year. It also causes 430 sudden

infant death syndrome (SIDS) deaths in the U.S. annually." ("Health Effects Of Secondhand

Smoke"). These hazardous side effects are just some of the reasons to support the ban on

smoking in public places.

 Work Cited

CDC - Fact Sheet - Health Effects Of Cigarette Smoking - Smoking & Tobacco Use".

Smoking And Tobacco Use, 2018,

https://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/data_statistics/fact_sheets/health_effects/effects_cig_smoking/.

"Health Effects Of Secondhand Smoke". American Lung Association, 2018,

http://www.lung.org/stop-smoking/smoking-facts/health-effects-of-secondhand-smoke.html.