You should spend about 40 minutes on this task.
Tobacco and alcohol are drugs that cause addiction and health problems. Therefore they should be made illegal. To what extent do you agree or disagree with this statement?
Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.
You should write at least 250 words.
Sample Answer
Cigarettes and alcohol negatively influence human health and lead to very bad addiction. While some people believe that smoking and drinking alcohol do not have that much detriment effect on health and should be sold freely, I firmly believe that smoking and alcohol are drugs that lead to health problems and addiction and, as a result, they should be prohibited.
First of all, tobacco is a silent killer not only for smokers but also for people around. Smoking is known as a cause of more than 25 different deadly diseases including lung cancer, bronchitis and emphysema. According to the recent statistics, four million people around the world die yearly from tobacco-related diseases – one death every eight seconds. Tobacco is significantly becoming a greater cause of death and disability than any other single cause. Therefore, smoking cigarettes is a huge global threat and should be illegal. The number of female and young smokers is increasing globally and completely banning cigarettes could be an effective measure to enhance public health. The amount of money a country spend each year to treat people who suffer from tobacco-related diseases could be better utilised to treat other patients.
The next point that needs to be taken into consideration is alcohol that has already become a serious problem during the last centuries. More and more people use alcohol every day and sometimes not only a glass of wine during the evening but also far more than usual. As a result, this group of people becomes unhealthy. Moreover, drinking too much alcohol can lead to more serious problems such as brain damage and even can cause a separation with the partner and break a family. Moreover, children struggle a lot from drunkard parents. Therefore, alcohol should be banned globally. The negative health and social problems the alcohol creates are enormous and the banning it will bring more social stability, morality and better life expectancy.
To sum up, from my point of view, cigarettes and alcohol are two greatest threats to the society and our health. They lead to various problems and harm not only individuals who use it but also others, surrounding them. I believe that people can live their lives more happily without those heinous drugs and substance.
[ Written by – Natalia Svetlova ]