Banning outdoor smoking policy proposal

Banning outdoor smoking policy proposal 15

RUNNING HEAD: Banning outdoor smoking policy proposal

Banning outdoor smoking policy proposal

Maliyka A, Muhammad

Benedictine University

September 1, 2013

Public Health Problem

For over 25 years, asthma has been classified as an emerging significant chronic disease (Public Health Information Group Center for Community Health, 2009, p. 10). Instead of a decline in asthma prevalence and incidence rates, it has become a major public health problem. In the United States, it is estimated that 18.6 million adults and 6.7 million children identify with having asthma (Public Health Information Group Center for Community Health, 2009, p. 10). Tobacco smoke, which includes secondhand smoke, is an asthma trigger. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (2013), tobacco smoke whether it is primary or secondary is one of the most common asthma triggers. For asthma sufferers avoiding secondhand smoke is just as important as involving direct tobacco contact.

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"Secondhand smoke contains more than 7,000 chemicals, including hundreds that are toxic and about 70 that can cause cancer," which makes it as dangerous as if an asthmatic were smoking themselves (Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 2013).

Solution to Public Health Problem

In recent years, a lot of states and cities have limited the areas where individuals can smoke. However, secondhand smoke is still present and asthmatics still at risk. Although, people can no longer smoke in businesses, airplanes, and in some parks they can still smoke on the sidewalk. While there is no question that everyone is entitled to do what they want so long as it is legal, it should cause undue harm to anyone else. Allowing smokers to smoke on public sidewalks are detrimental to asthmatics. One solution is that smoking be allowed outdoors only in certain areas.

Proposed Jurisdiction Policy will be...