According to the Virginia Department of Health, one in five deaths can be attributed to smoking and exposure to second-hand smoke (Smoking - Attributable Deaths in Virginia). The risk of health deterioration caused by smoking in public establishments is truly intolerable. Banning smoking in public places would benefit everyone and should be imposed everywhere because it would reduce the risk of health problems for non-smokers, reduce the number of smokers overall and reduce the amount of precious money that taxpayers spend on smoking. expenses.Tobacco has been labeled a carcinogen by the CDC, WHO and IARC. The dangerous byproducts of a smoked cigarette can increase toxin levels in a room for hours (National Cancer Institute fact sheet). According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, smoking reduces blood circulation, causes coronary heart disease and can cause 11 different types of cancer. The health risks of smoking are no secret to society, but tobacco contains an addictive chemical, nicotine, which makes it extremely difficult to quit once you start (Thank you for smoking). Banning smoking in public places could reduce the number of smokers today. and discourage smoking in the future. According to the CDC, 68.8% of cigarette smokers would like to quit smoking (“Quitting Smoking Among Adults”). The new restrictions on smoking areas would cause such disruption to daily and social activities that smokers would find smoking so inconvenient that there would be overwhelming pressure to quit smoking or quit altogether. For example, a man in New York is a smoker. In 2003, New York City passed a ban that prohibits smoking in virtually all public places, bars and restaurants...... middle of paper ...... sheet ct. American Lung Association.05-07-09. vLUK9O0E&b=35422 >"Smoking - Attributable Deaths in Virginia." Virginia Tobacco Use Control Project. Virginia Department of Health, October 23, 2008. Web. December 13, 2011. .Thanks for smoking. By Jason Reitman. Prod. David O. Sacks. Perf. Robert,.Duvall, William H. Macy, Cameron Bright, Adam Brody, Aaron,. Eckhart and Maria Bello. Fox Searchlight Pictures, 2006. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The health consequences of smoking, report of the Surgeon General. Atlanta, GA: United States Public Health Service, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, 2004. Print.