Health and disease relation to cigarette smoking Essay

Health and disease relation to cigarette smoking - Essay Example port identify that â€Å"among men who smoke cigarettes the death rate from cancer of the lung was 1,000 percent higher than among nonsmokers† and that â€Å"the incidence of coronary artery disease, the leading cause of death in the United States, was 70 percent higher among smokers† (Brandt 494). Brandt points out how the clash between traditional American libertarian ethic and communitarian ethic has influenced debates on cigarette smoking in the nation. The author also provides an elaborate discussion on accountability for tobacco induced diseases and finally concludes that more attention should be paid to the social responsibility theory for addressing the issue. Proponents of cigarette smoking emphasize on traditional American libertarian ethic which stress on individual freedom and individual decisions. As such they regard governmental interference on smoking behavior as an â€Å"unjustifiable intrusion into individual decisions† (Brandt 500). They also hold that rather than regulating the smoking behavior of the public government’s duty is only to inform them of its potential dangers. On the other hand, communitarian ethic holds that exposure to other peoples cigarette smoke cause serious health problems to non-smokers in the community. Various researches on the risks of side stream smoke and the addictive nature of cigarettes also emphasize the need to delegitimize and stigmatize cigarette smoking. The communitarian ethic thus views smoking as a moral issue as its health effects on the non-smoking community are quite dangerous. This tension between traditional American libertarian ethic and communitarian ethic on cigarette smoking raises a number of questions on who should shoulder the responsibility of the risks associated with cigarette smoking. While many attribute this responsibility to the tobacco industry there are others who stress on governmental accountability. The first Surgeon Generals Report emphasizes on governmental intervention and