me and the emergency inhaler, that
you are only supposed to use a few
times a week at max, I used multiple
times a day. From elementary school to
graduation I was constantly pumping
my body full of asthma steroids just
to find a few moments of relief that
my lungs so desperately craved. Just
before I turned 19 I moved out and
rarely went back to the house to visit
because I couldn’t stay longer than
five minutes before I felt an attack
coming on. When my daughter was
born I told him that if he wanted
to see his grandchild at his place
that he would need to stop smoking
inside. He was always welcomed to
my home but never came because he
knew he wasn’t allowed to smoke in
the house. My reasoning was because
I knew my kin had a higher chance
of becoming an asthmatic and I
wanted so desperately to spare her
of the pain that I had to go through.
His response was “I’m not taking
demands from you.” That was the
end of our relationship. Smoking
was more important to him than his
daughter and granddaughter’s health.
Smoking in homes and _ vehicles
with children under the age of 18
should be illegal and monitored.
There are so many activists out there
that say it’s the child’s choice to do
something (an example being people
against abortions because they say it’s
impinging on that person’s human
rights) but when it comes down to
it, do they really have any rights?
It isn’t our choice to sit in a small
confinement and breathe in the
second hand smoke which is found
to be more harmful than smoking
the cigarette ourselves. If we truly
have the choice, than a four-year-
old should be able to tell the adult
to not smoke in the vehicle or home.
But of course that isn’t how things
work. According to the World Health
Organization, every year at least
600,000 people die from second
hand smoke. I’m honestly surprised

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I wasn’t one of them. A new sector
of government should be created to
monitor every home in the country
to keep young people safe from the
effects of smoking. Twice a month
someone from that sector should
be going to every house and testing
for cigarette smoke inside the homes
and vehicles. This can include an
actual home visit and/or having a
specialized monitor installed into the
home (one that can’t be tampered
with). If the monitor detects
cigarette smoke it will go off and let
the new sector of government who
is handling these new legislations
know about the smoke inside of the
home. Once cigarette smoke settles
it’s hard to fully clean that smell out
of fabrics and to wash off of walls.
Every time I did a quick visit and left,
as soon as I got home I had to wash
my clothes immediately and shower
because the smell burned my lungs
and lingered on my clothes. I even
Febrezed my car every single time. If
you violate this law then punishment
should follow, whether it be a fine or
for repeat offenders who just don’t
care to the possibility of having the
children taken away. In 2009 British
Columbia made it illegal to smoke in
a vehicle with minors and if caught,
you would receive a $109 fine. This
fine needs to be tripled at least and
there needs to be new legislation that
includes stopping smoking inside of
homes as well as more thorough and
careful monitoring.

I wish my step-father took my health,
and his granddaughter’s health more
seriously and at least smoked outside.
If the government is reporting that
second hand smoke amongst minors
under the age of eighteen is one of
the highest causes of death, then
they need to step up their game and
implement new rules and regulations
regarding smoking inside of homes
and vehicles. The government should
be looking at Bhutan and Uruguay,
two out of five countries with the

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strictest smoking laws, for guidance
and support. Children deserve the
tight to not have to be near such
horrendous smells and conditions

and should have the right to say
so. Smoking inside of homes and
vehicles needs to be banned to save
more people from dying of second-
hand smoke.

Works Cited

“WHO global report on trends

in tobacco smoking 2000-2025

- First edition.” World Health

Organization, http://www.who.int/

tobacco/publications/surveillance/

reportontrendstobaccosmoking/en/ 7
a

“B.C. sets $109 fine for smoking in

cars with kids present.” CBC News, =

CBC/Radio-Canada, 18 Mar 2009, 4

https://www.cbe.ca/news/canada/ 4

british-columbia/b-c-sets-109- |=

fine-for-smoking-in-cars-with-kids-
present-1.838560

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