In a study done by the Center for Disease Control and reported in the Journal of the American Medical Association, it was found that, “Nearly 9 out of 10 non-smoking Americans are exposed to second-hand smoke” . In order to protect the health of non-smokers there should be a nation wide ban on public smoking.
A study done in Helena, Montana by physicians Robert Shepard and Richard Sargent, and presented at the American College of Cardiology in Chicago, stated that a six month ban on public smoking reduced the number of heart attacks by as much as 60%. This is the first study of its kind and critics claim that six months in the medical research field is not long enough to study the claims by Shepard and Sargent; however, Stanton Glantz, an independent researcher at the University of California, has concluded that the probability of Shepard and Sargent’s hypothesis being correct is about 99.8%.
We are no longer aloud to pray in school or say the Pledge of Allegiance because it encroaches on the rights of Atheists by forcing them to take part in “second-hand religion”. I propose a similar measure should be taken to ban smoking in public. A ban on public smoking will help to increase the overall health of our state by preventing non-smokers from being subjected to second-hand smoke.
Thank You,
Chris [email protected]