Shannon Esperson
ENGL 1302
Dr. Christie
Position Paper Final
Just last month I was in Las Vegas Nevada dancing the nights away in some of the hottest night clubs around when someone in my party got a headache from all the secondhand smoke she was being exposed to. At that point in time we left the night club and shortly after her headache disappeared; it was as easy as that. This experience got me thinking about those who don’t have the ability to control their secondhand smoke exposure and what, if anything, is being done to protect them. As easy as it was for myself to leave this smoky environment, a child in a smoke filled car, for example, would be trapped with no hope or realistic ability to escape the situation. Smoke free citizens have pressed legislators for years to make their work and public environments smoke free. Smoking cigarettes is now illegal in government buildings, and many bars and restaurants nationwide and yet only six states have laws making it illegal to smoke in a car with a minor present. Shouldn’t minors be afforded the same liberties we adults demand for ourselves?
I have struggled in my opinion on smoke free legislation for some time now. As a libertarian who appreciates the least government involvement possible, I support the freedom we have to smoke in bars and casinos in Las Vegas. These are adult only environments and as adults we have the choice to engage in the lawful behaviors we see fit. However, as a pediatric nurse who witnesses childen suffering from passive smoking, I can confidently state that parents, healthcare workers, and anyone in support of protecting children, smokers included, need to be in support of this legislation. A few of the things I believe this legislation would do if passed nationwide would be to: increase awareness of the harm of passive smoking to children, decrease children’s incidences of