Cancer, emphysema, asthma... death. What are all of those tragic health conditions associated with? No, not merely old age or even sucking on the exhaust pipe of a Buick, though the latter's not too far from the truth. The horrific reality is that everyday, everywhere in this country, people are lighting up cancer sticks. Cigarettes, as they are more generally called, are poisoning the nation with every wheeze-filled puff that anyone draws in and exhales. Smoking cigarettes is one of this nation's worst evils, yet is more acceptable than many less hazardous substances that are considered illegal. Cigarettes should be banned entirely from the United States because they kill not only the populace that smokes them, but innocent bystanders as well, are more addictive than marijuana or painkillers, and are produced and distributed by an industry that gains profit from millions of their customer's deaths.
             Second-hand smoke warnings swarm all aspects of the media in today's society, and with good reason. Anyone that believes they cannot be affected by smokers' habits is tragically mistaken. So maybe a guy standing at a crosswalk doesn't mind the fact that he's poisoning himself, but the mother waiting behind him walking her eight-year-old son to school certainly does. They both are inhaling the toxins spewing from that Marlboro 100, and probably don't like it. Okay smoker, it's alright to kill yourself, but not others. Also, anyone with asthma or emphysema can have their illnesses worsened; second-hand smoke is even more perilous to them. People on the street or in the same room may be able to walk away from the smoky clouds, but what about those that can't? Kids, infants, and even unborn children may be getting sick just from second-hand smoke in the next room, causing innumerable health risks. In fact, "After the first month of life, infants of parents who smoke have hi...