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Should Smoking Be Public Places?

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The Debate about Smoking in Public Places Smoking cigarettes has been around for over two thousand years and is a debatable issue in the United States. The issue with public smoking is the controversy between banning it and not banning it. Many non-smokers view it as a harmful bad habit, while users view it as a choice that they are free to make. Opponents of banning smoking in public places feel that it is a choice and that it will take away their free will. “They argue that people should have the autonomy to decide on what kind of lifestyle they will have” (3). Banning public smoking may also decrease business at local bars, restaurants, etc. “….as for establishments which are already smoke-free, competition will be higher. It will also be harder for them to leverage since there will be more businesses that are smoke-free” (3). Additionally, opponents say that non-smokers can walk away if it bothers them. If a person does not like being around smokers then they can simply move away from them or kindly ask the smoker to move. Some also argue that exhaust fumes are just as, if not more, harmful as cigarette smoke is. “Lastly, some critics contend that banning smoking in some places just leaves smokers no choice but to do it somewhere else. They mentioned that this can even lead to increase cases of DUI fatalities since smokers might drive to other places just so they can smoke” (3).
Plenty of information exists to validate the concerns of the opposition of smoking in

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