There is nothing worse than coming home from certain public places and finding out that your clothes and hair smell disgusting because they have been saturated with the stench of smoke. I believe that I am not the only one who is fed up with this. On the other hand, what I really hate is that walking down the street behind someone smoking a cigarette. Every time they exhale out a cloud of stale smoke, you walk straight into it. What an unpleasant experience!

I believe that some smokers are fed up with people who do not smoke always harping on their bad habit and telling them what to do. The simple fact is that smokers are affecting the health of non-smokers as well as their own. Many people die each year just because they breathe the second-hand smoke from smokers. Therefore, that is what we really should take seriously. In my opinion, an outright banning of smoking in public places is the only way forward.

According to my research, tobacco smoke is the risk factor associated with an increased overall morbidity and mortality. According to this website, http://sprojects.mmi.mcgill.ca/smoking/smokedf/health_consequences_smoking.html, "Cigarette contains various substances, some of which are irritants, oxidants, free radicals and carcinogenic. These substances have a direct and profound effect on the human body and are the direct cause of the diseases associated with smoke. Also, these substances are the leading of unpreventable particularly from cardiovascular disease, cancers of the lung, larynx, mouth and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease." Those substances may affect the next generation. For example, if a pregnant woman smokes cigarettes or lives around some smokers all the time, the baby gets the toxic chemicals from the cigarette smoke and second-hand smoke. It will cause the risk of miscarriage, stillbirth, premature and low-birth-weight babies. It also affects lower intelligence in children when they are carrying. Therefore, banning smoking in public places will enhance our health.

A lot of people realize that smoking is bad for their health and they choose not to smoke. While it is not intended to curb smokers' personal choice to smoke, it is intended to take account of the choice of many Americans to have clean smoke-free air. The majority of people have a right to choose to work, eat and entertain in a smoke-free environment. It is not only a preference to avoid the discomfort and smell of tobacco smoke, but also the potential impact on their health. In addition, evidence shows that restriction on smoking would help reduce the number of active smokers as well as passive smokers. Therefore, banning smoking in public places will enhance our living environments.

Banning smoking in public places will significantly reduce the devastation, injury and cost caused by fire. Smoking is a leading cause of fires and death from fires globally. A single lighted cigarette is able to destroy buildings, families and lives. According to this website, http://www.john-bauer.com/smoking.htm, "In France, a single lighted cigarette thrown from a moving car in 1999 ignited a fire in the Mont Blanc Tunnel, causing 39 deaths and over $1 billion in losses to the region." If we ban smoking in public places, we will be able to reduce the fires that are caused by the lighted cigarette. As a result, we will save more properties and lives. We will feel safer and safer.

In conclusion, banning smoking is good for everyone in the public places. It can not only promote a healthier environment, but also can reduce deaths from fires. Please do understand that banning smoking is more beneficial than restricting freedom of choice.


Posted at Nov 16/2004 02:58 PM:
Admin: Your position is very strong, and the personal tone and style of the introduction makes an excellent beginning. You also do a good job of integrating your opinions along with the facts you've gained from your research. You still need to work a bit harder on proofreading to find and fix the errors in English. B-

Dear Professor:

I really want you to grade my essay again. The tutor has already corrected my grammar mistakes. I know that my essay was very terrible. I hope this essay will be much better than the first draft. Thank you very much.


Posted at Nov 30/2004 12:55 PM:
Admin: Yes, this is much better. I'm raising the grade. The new grade will be

A