According to the Virginia Department of Health, one in five deaths can be attributed to smoking and exposure to secondhand smoke (Smoking - Attributable Deaths in Virginia). The risk of worsening health caused by smoking in public places is truly intolerable. Banning smoking in public places would benefit everyone and should be enforced everywhere because it would reduce the risk of health problems for nonsmokers, reduce the number of smokers overall, and reduce the amount of precious money taxpayers spend on smoking-related activities. expenses. Tobacco has been labeled a carcinogen by the CDC, WHO and IARC. The dangerous byproducts of a smoked cigarette can raise 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 creates an addictive chemical, nicotine, that makes it extremely difficult to quit once you start (Thanks for smoking). Banning smoking in public places could reduce the number of smokers currently. 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 discomfort during daily and social activities that smokers would find smoking so uncomfortable that there would be overwhelming pressure to quit smoking or quit completely. For example, a man in New York City is a smoker. In 2003, New York City passed a ban prohibiting smoking in virtually all public places, from 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. Prod. David O. Sacchi, William H. Macy, Adam Brody, and Maria Bello. 2006. US Department of Health and Human Services. The Health Consequences of Smoking, Surgeon General's Report. Atlanta, Georgia: US Public Health Service, National Center for Prevention Chronic Diseases and Health Promotion, 2004. Print.