What do you think the number one killer in the United States is? The answer: tobacco use. Deaths from tobacco use in 2000 beat the total number of deaths from obesity with an astonishing 435,000 deaths. This also beat the total number of deaths by alcohol use, microbial agents, toxic agents, motor vehicle accidents/collisions, firearm use, sexual behavior, and illicit drug use (Marshall). So if smoking is the number one killer, shouldn’t we take steps to reduce the number of smokers? One small, but definitely beneficial, step to take would be banning the sale of cigarettes in pharmacies. The sale of cigarettes in pharmacies should be banned in the United States to benefit the country’s health. Smoking is a serious hazard to human health,
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One argue is that a ban on the sale of cigarettes in a store will cause a reduction in sale of other products. The same study by Vander Weg shows that the ban of cigarette sales in CVS Pharmacies did not result in a loss in sales of other products in the store (Vander Weg, Rosenthal, and Sarrazin). Also, smokers argue that a ban limits the freedom of smoking which gives them pleasure. Well, this “pleasurable” activity shortens ones lifespan by 11 minutes for each cigarette he/she smokes (Mary Shaw, Richard Mitchell, and Danny Dorling). That means that if someone smokes a pack of cigarettes a day, their life is cut by 56 days each year. This leisure activity also exposes everyone around the smoker, like his/her dearly beloved family members, to second hand smoke. Furthermore, people argue that the tobacco industry is good for our economy because it raises 11 million dollars in tax revenue each year (“CorpWatch”). While this is true, it doesn’t make up for the 170 billion dollars spent in adult medical care and 156 billion dollars in lost productivity each year (“Fast”). Lastly, people believe that a ban will hurt a business financially. It is true that CVS Pharmacy’s ban will cause the company to lose 2 billion dollars in profit each year, but it took less than six days to make up the loss of the 2 million dollars (Young). This is because CVS makes billions of dollars each year such as their 126.7 billion dollars in sale in 2013 (Young). There is really no excuse as to why cigarettes shouldn’t be banned from pharmacies because cigarettes do more damage to the country than good. Smoking is a huge health hazard, so the banning of the sale of cigarettes in pharmacies will make the United States one step closer to becoming a safer place. Besides, isn’t the goal of pharmacies to keep us healthy and not to kill
One argue is that a ban on the sale of cigarettes in a store will cause a reduction in sale of other products. The same study by Vander Weg shows that the ban of cigarette sales in CVS Pharmacies did not result in a loss in sales of other products in the store (Vander Weg, Rosenthal, and Sarrazin). Also, smokers argue that a ban limits the freedom of smoking which gives them pleasure. Well, this “pleasurable” activity shortens ones lifespan by 11 minutes for each cigarette he/she smokes (Mary Shaw, Richard Mitchell, and Danny Dorling). That means that if someone smokes a pack of cigarettes a day, their life is cut by 56 days each year. This leisure activity also exposes everyone around the smoker, like his/her dearly beloved family members, to second hand smoke. Furthermore, people argue that the tobacco industry is good for our economy because it raises 11 million dollars in tax revenue each year (“CorpWatch”). While this is true, it doesn’t make up for the 170 billion dollars spent in adult medical care and 156 billion dollars in lost productivity each year (“Fast”). Lastly, people believe that a ban will hurt a business financially. It is true that CVS Pharmacy’s ban will cause the company to lose 2 billion dollars in profit each year, but it took less than six days to make up the loss of the 2 million dollars (Young). This is because CVS makes billions of dollars each year such as their 126.7 billion dollars in sale in 2013 (Young). There is really no excuse as to why cigarettes shouldn’t be banned from pharmacies because cigarettes do more damage to the country than good. Smoking is a huge health hazard, so the banning of the sale of cigarettes in pharmacies will make the United States one step closer to becoming a safer place. Besides, isn’t the goal of pharmacies to keep us healthy and not to kill