Public Places With My Smoking Friends example essay topic

The battle of the smokers vs. the non-smokers. Leading us to wonder if the smokers would live long enough to see who wins the battle of smoking in their local restaurants, bars, and other public places. I do not know about you, but I hate having the smell of smoke around me. Especially if I am enjoying a nice dinner out. (I would suggest revising) One particular evening that comes to mind is when my parents and I met in Columbus to eat in a favorite restaurant in Easton. We, of course, expected a wait, but that Saturday night was especially longer than usual.

The hostess told us it would be about a 30 minute wait. We sat down around the bar waiting for our table when a waitress came up to tell us if we could tolerate sitting among the smokers, we could be seated in 10 minutes rather than 30. The smoking section was definitely not an option. My parents would rather wait 30 minutes and enjoy a smoke-free dinner. Sadly, I feel that this situation always seems to be the case when I go out to dinner. If you are hungry and in a hurry, be prepared to sit amongst the smoking section.

(I would consider revising this sentence) I have also found that many restaurants and bars that have smoking and non-smoking sections are not well-planned out facilities. Sometimes only a wall separates the two groups. I have even been to a restaurant and have had to ask if they seated me in non-smoking because the smell of smoke was so unbelievably strong. When their ventilation systems are poorly setup, it can be difficult to tell the difference between the two sections. There is nothing worse than coming home from a bar or a club after an evening out and find that your clothes smell disgusting because they have been saturated with the stench of smoke. I just wish that I had a choice of whether or not I came home from the bars or clubs smelling like a dirty ashtray.

I am not trying to say that all smokers are bad and should not be allowed into public places, but I do feel that there should be areas for just non-smoking and smoking in bars. Being 21, I find myself going out more and hating the fact that when I get in the car my hair, my clothes, and my purse reek of smoke. Many of my friends will sit and blow smoke right into my face and my throat will literally burn the next day. Another thing that I really hate is walking down the street behind someone smoking a cigarette. Every time they exhale, out comes that cloud of stale smoke, and bang, you walk straight into it. I do not find it a pleasant experience, and it is one that I could live quite happily without.

I know there are a lot of people in this country that smoke and I would be willing to bet that some who would read this would be fed up with people who do not smoke always harping on them about their "bad habit" and telling them what to do. The simple fact of the matter is that smokers are affecting the health of non-smokers as well as their own. People die each year just because they have breathed other people's smoke and that is something we really should take seriously. In my opinion, an outright ban on smoking in public places is the only way forward.

I do feel that this is a complex problem that will not be solved anytime soon. Don't hold your breath for peace in the Middle East or for any sensible resolution of the tobacco wars. As much as I hate the smell of smoke, I have to keep in mind that smoking will never become an illegal activity in the United States. There is entirely too much money involved, and it involves much of our population. Many of my friends would prefer that we get rid of the Surgeon General before we even think about outlawing smoking. Many see the decision to smoke as a basic right, and perhaps even a guarantee that is spelled out somewhere in the Constitution.

A recent study published by the Journal of the American Medical Association shows that California's waitresses die from higher rates of lung and heart disease than any other female occupational group. They have four times the expected lung cancer mortality and 2-1/2 times the expected heart disease mortality rate. According to this study, this increased death rate is directly attributable to having to work day after day in smoke-filled rooms. Just one example why I feel that smoking should be banned. Every time I get into a debate about the issue of smoking in public places with my smoking friends it turns into the fact that they feel that I am against anyone who smokes. That is definitely not the case.

Smoking is anyone's right. If you are willing to pay the increased pricing for cigarettes, then I feel you have any right to smoke them. I just do not want the smoke around me. I realize that smokers do not kill people, it is the smoke.