Beginning of Essay
Each year, the U.S. government passes numerous laws to protect its citizens. Yet, one perfectly legal product manages to seize over 400,000 American lives annually (American Lung Association, "American"). Despite the efforts of the U.S. government to protect its c ....

Middle of Essay
.... the government spends a large amount of money treating medical illnesses that are, many times, preventable. In fact, "[s]moking costs the United States approximately $97.2 billion each year in health-care costs and lost productivity" (American Lung Association, "American"). Also, citizens must fund health care costs through tax dollars. A wiser and more productive utilization of tax dollars would be funding for schools. Despite the fact that the tobacco industry contributes a significant amount of tax dollars, economic costs far exceed tobacco profits. Another area where cigarette smoking is costly is the working environment. Employers must spend mor ....