L…vû¹XjF ÕT 3;C… û+¨v#kÌk

(299 words) 

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 IELTS
 JOURNAL 
 
97 
Sample essay 40: 
Smoking can cause serious illnesses and should be made illegal. 
To what extent do you agree? 
There are clear arguments for banning smoking, based largely on health, but there is 
perhaps a stronger case to be made for maintaining the current situation, as will now be 
explained. 
The most important factor for keeping smoking legal is that the decision to smoke is not 
something that should be controlled by the government, but by the individual. If a person 
decides to smoke, they do so of their own free will and this should be respected, as it is the 
government's role to advise against harmful practices, but ultimately not to make decisions 
for its citizens. 
The other reason for allowing smoking is that by making laws against it is more likely to 
result in the sale of tobacco moving to the black market, and consequently increasing the 
level of associated crime. There will still be people who cannot overcome their addiction, 
and will search for any means available to access cigarettes. A clear example of this reaction 
can be seen in the illegal sale of other drugs such as cocaine and marijuana. 
Of course, there is the fact that smoking is known to have adverse health effects on both 
the smoker and those around them who are affecting by passive smoking. Yet there are 
other lifestyle choices that also have a negative impact, such as fast food and alcohol, and 
banning these items would restrict the choice available to the consumer. 
In conclusion, the decision to ban smoking, although having some advantages, would be 
more likely to have an overall negative effect. It would therefore be better would be for the 
government to continue campaigns that educate people about the potential dangers of the 
habit.