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Introduction

The percentage of cigarette smokers in the US is increasing at an alarming rate. In 2019, statistics showed that almost 14 individuals in every 100 adults aged 18 years and over are smokers. The statistics imply that approximately 14 percent or 34.1 million adults in the US are cigarette smokers. Besides, more than 16 million Americans live with smoking-related illnesses (Cole et al., 2020).  These cigarette smoking-related diseases have cost the US more than $300 billion every year, incorporating almost $170 billion for primary medical care for adults. Moreover, cigarette smoking has resulted in more than $156 billion in lost productivity, incorporating $5.6 billion in lost productivity because of secondhand smoke exposure (Cole et al., 2020). Besides, cigarette smoking is associated with a wide range of adverse health effects that substantially diminishes the health status of smokers. Most importantly, cigarette smoking causes heart diseases, cancer, lung diseases, diabetes, stroke, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) (Helms, King, & Ashley, 2017). This paper proposes a policy to address the health needs of persons with cigarette smoking addiction, thus enhancing their health outcomes.

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Propose a policy

Smoking cessation is associated with reduced adverse health effects. The proposed policy, thus, emphasizes the social restriction of cigarette availability, which entails banning publicity of all cigarette products in communication media, as well as cigarette promotions. Marketing improves cigarette use and contributes to the perception that smoking cigarette is beneficial in life as it is a form of entertainment and can lead to happiness (Ranabhat et al., 2017). A vital step towards decreasing cigarette smoking is, therefore, through revising its social acceptance to ensure that people are more informed about the facts concerning cigarette smoking. Prevention of cigarette smoking can be achieved through implementing a range of guidelines. For instance, a comprehensive ban of all media types, incorporating television, radio, and newspaper that promote cigarette smoking, is not only cost-effective but also ideal in reducing cigarette smoking among adults. Particularly, it is important to prevent the exposure of vulnerable populations to cigarette smoking as this may promote its use, affecting their health. Once a ban on cigarette marketing has been implemented, it is vital to recruiting an independent body that can monitor and enforce the ban to ensure its effectiveness (Hawkins et al., 2018).

Need for a proposed policy

Cigarette smoking leads to adverse health effects and increased utilization of medical services, thus generating higher medical care costs and lead to more inpatient and outpatient visits (Helms, King, & Ashley, 2017). The policy to implement full restrictions on cigarette advertising is the best because it addresses the harmful cigarette smoking behavior rather than emphasizing individual behaviors. Cigarette marketing restrictions are low-cost interventions that are cost-effective in reducing cigarette-associated harm. Smoking cessation results in improved quality of life (Cruz et al., 2019). Advertising cigarette influences risky behaviors among individuals and normalizes cigarette smoking while recruiting new smokers. Banning cigarette-smoking advertisements will ensure that individuals seek more healthy ways of entertaining themselves while reducing the risk associated with cigarette smoking.