For decades, we have all been told over and over that smoking is one of the leading causes of cancer and heart disease. Next to non-melanoma skin cancer, lung cancer is the second leading cause of cancer deaths in the United States. In 2009, there were nearly 220,000 deaths in the United States due to lung cancer, but by 2019, that rate had dropped about 142,670 deaths.

This drop in the mortality rate due to lung cancer, largely due to tobacco products, can be attributed to warnings about using tobacco products, a growing number of businesses and cities going tobacco or smoking free, and improvements in modern medicine.

Not only has the use of tobacco products, mostly smoking, been responsible for causing lung cancer and heart disease, but it has also been associated with increased risks of stroke, esophageal cancer, lip and mouth cancer and a host of other health conditions.

If that is not bad enough, a new study is showing that there are even more health risks:

People who smoke tobacco may be at a higher risk of developing depression and schizophrenia, according to a new study.

A team of researchers led by scientists from the University of Bristol in the UK has added weight to growing evidence that smoking can have a negative effect on mental health.

Rather than simply looking at whether the smokers had a genetic predisposition to depression or schizophrenia, the researchers used genetic data to examine cause-and-effect relationships with smoking,

“Individuals with mental illness are often overlooked in our efforts to reduce smoking prevalence, leading to health inequalities,” the study’s lead author, Robyn Wootton, said in a statement.

“Our work shows that we should be making every effort to prevent smoking initiation and encourage smoking cessation because of the consequences to mental health as well as physical health.”

Not only did the researchers discover the link between smoking and increased risk of depression and schizophrenia, but they also discovered that people already suffering from depression and schizophrenia are more likely to smoke.

Additionally, researchers discovered that smoking also increases the risk of bipolar disorder.

One of the recommendations made by the researchers was that all psychiatric hospitals be made smoke free to reduce the danger of and harmful effects smoking has on mental health.

Yes, smoking not only causes a host of physical health problems but it is now revealed that it also increases the risk of some mental health issues. Bad for the body and bad for the mind.

It’s research like this that causes me to wonder why tobacco has not been banned as a harmful substance. Just think. If tobacco was banned, like other harmful substances (heroin, opium, fentanyl), it could not only save countless lives, physically and mentally, but it would save billions of dollars spent on medical costs associated with tobacco. It would also make a huge impact on the amount of lost production in the work force. Banning tobacco in America is a win-win-win situation, but sadly, the tobacco industry has too much power.

 

22 thoughts on “New Study Warns We Need To Ban Tobacco”
  1. After I HAD to stop….I felt better when I was smoking….I wasn’t fat AT ALL no stomach looked great..

    Tho…I don’t believe anyone should smoke..but nothing was better than when I am stressed a cig and keeping that weight..off…and now I cry at a drop of a hat…so I still would IF I didn’t have to stop to bad they can’t find something that takes the cancer out

  2. When they BAN ALCOHOL of every form… they can think about tobacco! It is a FACT that when someone smokes ten cigarettes they MAY put THEIR health at risk. It is a FACT that when someone has ten drinks they CAN and HAVE gotten into their vehicle and killed a family of people. They CAN and HAVE battered and abused their spouse. They CAN and HAVE molested their children and others children under the influence of alcohol. NEVER has this happened when anyone smokes ten cigarettes. May want to rethink this BS! Because that is what it is! Legalizing DRUGS across this country then banning cigarettes? Are these people IDIOTS… YES. With an agenda!!

    1. You point out some interesting anomalies, Cheryl. But still, it is good advice and the health cost is significant. I was a three kind of user of tobacco products, cigars, pipes, and cigarettes when younger. Finally took heed to all the bad health effects in combination with other vices and quit.

      1. The reason Government does not outright ban tobacco,Is they make to much money in tax revenue from it. Despite they’re cries that it costs them money
        It does not. Now if every smoker stopped this would be a huge hit to the Government coffers first they would lose that income next all of those people would likely go on to collect Social Security for quite a few years, while now they are more likely to die before they retire so at present the Government gains from smokers. Yes some will collect SSDI. But for how long? If you have Lung Cancer or Cancer in any form.you tend not to live much longer than 1 to 5 years. People who retire live to collect SSI 10 to 15 years. This is why they won’t outright ban it like all the other dangerous drugs. They ban weed not because it is dangerous but they cannot make money from a natural plant you could grow in your yard. One that could have an outright effect on the Sale of Alchahol causing another form of revenue kids. Then there are now the known medical benefits of this plant which would hit the Pharmaceutical industry loss of more revenue again increase of lifespan more SSI payout. It’s all about the Almighty Dollar. This is also why they did away with the Gold standard because they had no control over who had it how you spent it and such while with Government issued paper money they have total control, ITS VALUE, interest rates, taxes, mainly TAXES. They could devalue all the paper money in all the banks over night which would affect you no matter where your dollars are. They could not do that with gold .

  3. Oh the stupidity! Has banning drugs stopped their use or even decreased it? Didnt prohibition prove anything? IT DOESNT WORK!!!!! Prohibition was an abject failure, caused a huge increase in crime(prior to that the US crime rate was very very low and though it decreased after, it never got close to pre-prohibition levels). and caused a huge increase in the cost of alcohol! NO BANNING(with penalties) addictive substances DOES NOT WORK! Look no further than the war on drugs!
    Prohibition of tobacco will just spike the price, do nothing to the level of use, in fact it will increase use among the youth who are naturally rebellious, and will add to the crime rate in the war on drugs!
    The answer is in the story that the writer just missed! The drop in use currently is due to EDUCATION about the harm of smoking. Nancy Reagan’s, Just Say NO to drugs campaign was hugely successful but was dropped once a democrat got in office. Education, constant education that never relents is the answer. Forcing people to do whats best never works. People must be free to choose, and constantly educated, the majority will choose whats best. there will always be a portion of the population who will not choose whats best and for them we just make it difficult by banning smoking in certain locations. we should do the same with all drugs.
    Dont legalize them, just decriminalize them (remove all criminal penalties). what this will do is cause a huge drop in price thus removing the criminal element since they cant make a fortune selling them anymore, since there is no fear in being prosecuted for possession, sale or distribution. Staying illegal will prevent them from being advertised(the mistake in ending prohibition) so they cant become a huge industry like alcohol did. Staying illegal but with no penalties wont make them alluring for the youth rebelliousness and it will continue to send the statement that society disapproves of their use. This type of Illegal, has never been done so this isnt what the writer was referring to. This is in essence what we have done to tobacco. The problem I have with what has been done to tobacco is it is unconstitutional. banning a LEGAL product from being advertised is UNconstitutional. It is the wrong way to handle it BUT it has proved, that is the most successful method to deal with the problem, it has caused a huge decrease in smoking since the 60’s across all ages. So to recap, make or keep all drugs illegal but with NO criminal penalties, make their public use very inconvenient, Educate, Educate, Educate, the public and never let the education campaign relent! PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENTS, PUBLIC FIGURE STATEMENTS, TV, RADIO, PRINT MEDIA, BILLBOARDS, CLASSROOM EDUCATION ACROSS AL LEVELS EVERY YEAR

  4. So why is cannabis being legalized? It is 20 times more likely to cause lung cancer than tobacco & cannabis users are more likely to be involved in a car crash. As far as depression & smoking are concerned the depression ALWAYS comes first, but these academics don’t get it because they’ve never been depressed. Ban tobacco smoking & you get smokeasies & massive illegal profits for gangsters. Remember what happened during alcohol prohibition?

  5. Yes you can try. But has making all the things that you mentioned really stopped them from being used by the population? You know they have not. Making tobacco illegal will only lead to a black market in same. Unregulated and free of government control. They tried this with alcohol and it was a complete failure and a boon for criminal organization! We cannot legislate morality in a free country!

  6. This is just another attempt to steal our individual rights. In your article you don’t mention other deadly things ie alcohol. How many families are torn apart by alcohol. Not only do you kill yourself but destroy loved ones, other drivers pedestrians. How many deaths are attributed to alcohol every year? However people that drink are never singled out but light up a cigarette and you are terrible person.

  7. And then we need to outlaw guns.
    And knives.
    And axes.
    And cars.
    And ladders.
    And school sports.
    And large dogs.
    And boating.
    And flying.
    And alcohol. Has anyone ever considered prohibiting that?

  8. you are a dum ass im 70 years old and fill fine began smoking at 12 years old grandmother died at 80 but not from smoking but from drinking and I don’t have high blood pressure and don’t take any medication. So yoiur report on smoking is incorrect

  9. Let us ban sugar as well. And salt, And knives. And cars. And, and, and. Or we could simply put the information out and allow people to make up their own minds.

  10. Radical statements in this piece . . . how do you explain elderly people smoking in their eighties that seem to be just fine?

  11. Just remember the banning of alcohol in the 20’s. An underground economy developed that filled the demand and funded various crime families. Raising the price of tobacco products gradually along with education aimed to those in their teens has reduced the number of smokers. We need to do the same thing with vaping products with pricing (TAXES) and education!

    1. The black market would probably die out after a few years as smokers died off, and less people are starting to smoke. Why do you think the Tobacco industry has now turned to Vapeing? People have been told it’s safer, which it is NOT. We have yet to see the long term effects of this. But it is coming. But they will have collected MILLIONS at the expense of citizens! The Government Sues the Tobacco industry for the damages and fines them billions, yet. They keep all the Tax money they have made. Government is an industry that produces nothing but charges all citizens fees to exist in the form of Taxation. This is why we need Smaller Government.

  12. Two questions: (1) if tobacco is so dangerous, why does the Federal government subsidize tobacco farmers? (2) why do tobacco farmers continue to grow this product? I suspect US House Reps, US Senators and Presidents don’t want to tick off and lose the support of the tobacco growing states. In other words, it’s political.

  13. My son died at the age of 56 as a result of smoking. The last 5 years of his life were pure
    torture. He continued working as a locksmith as long as humanly possible – dragging around
    an oxygen bottle. When he gave up we could not get Medicare for him for ages even though
    their doctor said he had only 20% use of his lungs. He had been working and paying in to Medicare
    since he was in High School! Finally by getting a lawyer my other son managed to get him on
    Medicade and we no longer had to buy his oxygen ourselves. He suffered terribly before he
    finally died! Due to additives plus tobacco – He couldn’t quit smoking!! If nothing else at least the
    additives should be banned!!!!

  14. BAN tobacco smoking ? ? AWK ! ! How much further do we go to BAN what harms the human body, how much further to BAN what God condemns ? Why can’t the religious people come together and push !
    for what our Maker wants ? Veto marijuana and other drugs. veto gambling, annul queer marriage,
    further work against murdering the unborn, thumbs down to transgender, and work to remove the bloody
    horror of cage fighting ? ? We chase after STUFF and wander away from God’s obvious choices ! ! We argue the Holy Trinity ya or nay, quarrel as to Christ stopping in Hell after the execution on the Cross…..
    there is NO argument as to stand and pray, pass the condiments of communion together or apart .

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