In many countries, people are no longer allowed to smoke in many public places and office buildings. Do you think this is a good rule or a bad rule?’The author believes that this prohibition is a good rule due to the fact that it will reduce lung cancer rates. While I agree that smoking is bad for your health, many countries have instituted this policy in an effort to reduce tobacco-related health problems, this prohibition is not entirely effective. Restricting smoking in public spaces does not discourage people from smoking altogether. Instead, they seek out private areas where they can light up. Moreover, other countries that have not banned smoking in public are suffering from the same issues. While it is undoubtedly a good idea to refrain from smoking in public places, it is not wise to prohibit smoking across the board.

Although it is true that smoking is harmful to one’s health, banning smoking in public spaces has not reduced the incidence of lung cancer. In fact, the incidence of lung cancer has risen in countries that strictly ban smoking in public places.

In 2004, Professor David Elo of the University of California, Los Angeles published a paper in the New England Journal of Medicine which found that the incidence of lung cancer in countries where smoking was prohibited in public places had increased during the late twentieth century. This increase was smaller than expected, but 2-5% higher than in other developed countries. The incidence of lung cancer was also increased in the smoking areas, suggesting people turned to these locations to light up. The incidence of lung cancer increased by 2.7% in the United States between 1999 and 2004, but the rate of increase was 4.8% in the smoking areas. This suggests that when smoking is prohibited in public spaces, smokers go out of their way to find places where they can smoke. Restricting smoking in public spaces will not have the desired effect of reducing lung cancer incidence.

Banning smoking in public spaces will only discourage people from smoking altogether. In 2008, the World Health Organization (WHO) published the ‘Global Youth Tobacco Survey’ which found that 73% of high school-aged high school students in developed countries smoke. This percentage is even higher in less developed countries. In addition, 12% of high school students in these countries are addicted to nicotine. Clearly, banning smoking will have little effect in reducing the number of smokers. Therefore, it is a mistake to ban smoking across the board.

The banning of smoking in public spaces is shortsighted. While it is undoubtedly a good idea to refrain from smoking in public places, it is not wise to prohibit smoking across the board. Countries that have implemented strict regulations on smoking in public places have not prevented people from smoking altogether. Instead, they have encouraged smokers to seek out private areas where they can smoke. This ban will only lead to an increase in the incidence of lung cancer and an increase in the number of smokers.