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Yet, there are still people in our society demanding the tobacco industry be forced to close down. They feel that by doing so, they will force the people who choose to smoke to stop. In all actually I believe that by doing so you will force the big corporations to move their business to another country leaving thousand of people unemployed and with out good medical coverage. There are approximately 600,000 people who are directly employed in a tobacco-related job. There are also approximately 800,000 people who have jobs, which are indirectly related to tobacco. There is also the monetary value that tobacco has to the economy. In 1997, tobacco harvested in Kentucky led to cash receipts of $825 million, $1.1 billion in North Carolina, $206 million in South Carolina, $189 million in Tennessee, and $187 million in Virginia. The tobacco industry has also made a significant contribution to reducing the nation's foreign trade deficit. In 1998, the industry reduced the trade deficit by $5 billion.
(Brown & Williamson, 1998).
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It is my opinion that the individual has a choice as to whether they smoke or not. The information is still being given, and sometimes forced upon, everyone that smoke almost on a daily basis, that smoking is bad for your health. The fact is we live in a country that gives people the freedom of choice to do anything that is legal. People bring up the point that second hand smoking is dangerous too. The federal government already tested the limits of its ability to infringe on the private lives of individuals when it banned smoking on domestic airline flights. Local governments have passed many ordinances prohibiting smoking in restaurants, in public buildings, on public transportation, and in other places. I believe when individuals or groups of people decide that they should be able to be in control of what you do outside or in your own home, then the line is crossed. It is my belief, if an adult decides to smoke; I believe that they should be held responsible for their actions.