Smoking in Public Places, by Maria

Recently, there has been a great deal of controversy about prohibiting smoking in public places or not. Given that the presence of non-smokers in these places cannot be ignored, I am inclined to believe that a happy medium between the smokers' right to freedom of choice and the non-smokers' right not to be subjected to their fumes could and should be stricken.

Suffice it to say that smoking is harmful to health and definitely linked with respiratory diseases. Scientists constantly try to persuade individuals not only to refrain from smoking, but also to steer clear of second-hand smoke. Obviously, passive smoking is as perilous as smoking. It is proven that when a person smokes, the inhalation of dangerous fumes in his or her body will gradually cause severe defects on the lungs or, worse still, cancer. Therefore, the local authorities in conjunction with the Ministry of Health recently enforced the prohibition of smoking in public areas. Needless to say that smoking must be forbidden in places where children, patients and elderly are present. In fact, individuals should be conscientious when accompanying the aforementioned sections of the population.

On the other hand, prohibition of smoking in public areas may be assumed as violation of human rights. Adult smokers are certainly aware of hazards involved in smoking but their longing for it is a personal matter  an immediate consequence of their addiction to nicotine, the highly addictive substance found in tobacco. Additionally, there are the occasional smokers who enjoy smoking a couple of cigarettes only when they attend a pop-rock concert, or when they savor a meal in a music tavern. Bearing especially the last category of smokers in mind, I tend to be in favor of creating a specially designed smoking area particularly in places of entertainment. To my mind, there is no reason to infringe upon somebody's right to light a cigarette in order to indulge himself at a moment of joy.

The obvious conclusion to be drawn is that smoking is absolutely harmful to health. But as smokers have realized the ever-increasing number of the diseases linked with their habit, they still have the freedom of choice. As far as I am concerned, it is better for both parties to compromise on the installation of smoking areas in some public places, in the high hopes of avoiding imposing fines on citizens solely for exercising their right to freedom of choice, which is by all accounts against what a democratic society encompasses.