English commentary 2! --> Smoking

Many people die from it each year and yet some experience living hell without it. Smoking. Something detested by many, yet relied on by more. Some can’t stand the smell of smoke, yet some just can’t get enough of it. Clearly, the people’s views on this topic are divided. I personal detest the act of smoking, although I respect the right of others to do so.

Smoking is a profitable commodity. And many countries earn much money just from the taxes they impose on cigarettes. Especially in a country like Singapore, where the taxes imposed on cigarettes are high, it helps to boost and stimulate the economy. At $10+ for each packet, cigarettes certainly do not come cheap in Singapore. The main part of the price of a cigarette pack is tax from the country. The Singapore government has slowly increased the price of cigarette packets to discourage people from smoking. The government’s actions are not without reason.

Smoking is extremely harmful to both the person smoking, and the people around them. It causes multiple problems such as lung cancer, heart problems, and stroke etcetera. This is caused by the harmful substances in cigarettes such as nicotine and tar. These smokers also cause harm to those around them, as the smoke particles do contain carcinogens (Cancer causing substances) which do cause harm to other innocent bypassers. Smoking is also extremely dangerous for children and babies, who have a low body mass and are hence more easily affected by this. Smokers tend to live 10-15 years shorter than Non-smokers due to the many health problems that smoking causes. It is clear that smoking is extremely bad for the members of the public.

Smoking is also extremely disliked by many members of the public. Many people find the smell of smoke disgusting, and few may even vomit upon the slightest bit of it reaching their olfactory organs. It is not an uncommon sight for people to move away from smokers when they start to click their lighters. Many people care for their own health, and feel uncomfortable in the presence of a smoker. Smokers are isolated into their own corners, because of the fear generated from the harms of smoking.

However, smoking is the choice of the people. If they choose to smoke, nothing can be done by the government, except attempts to dissuade them not to smoke. We also have to accept the fact that smokers are not capable of just getting rid of their addiction just like that. It takes great amounts of willpower to be able to resist something. The fact is that cigarettes, just like nicotine, are drugs. Although cigarettes are far less addictive, it is still difficult to shake off such an addiction. The seemingly cheap price of cigarettes also led many smokers to the illusion that smoking is not as expensive as they think, even though some smokers are capable of spending hundreds of dollars every month. These hundreds of dollars each month could be spent on many other things, such as to be saved up for rainy days, or to be used for the enjoyment of other family members.

Smoking does not only drain money on a daily basis, it is also capable of draining large amounts of money at a go, especially when the smokers fall sick from the hazardous substances in the smoke, and have to go for surgery or treatment. These treatments can be extremely expensive, and without the savings that they could have had if they did not smoke, it is unlikely that they would be able to pay for their medical fees. This especially applies in the real world since many smokers are from a lower social class, and are less educated, so most of them earn slightly less.

Singapore is a country where smoking is rather unsupported by the government. This has been shown repeatedly in the new laws that have been passed by the government in the past few years. Singapore is progressing towards providing an environment with fewer smokers for its people. However, it is unlikely that Singapore would be able to be fully smoke-free due to the massive number of smokers in the society. The only thing that we can do, is to convince those around us to help maintain a smoke-free environment.