Smoking is a major health risk because it can cause heart attacks, lung cancer, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and even cause birth defects of children born from women who smoked while pregnant. Smoking firsthand is not the only danger. Secondhand smoke has also led to the aforementioned conditions of people who do not smoke but are in the company of those who do smoke. The dangers of smoking and secondhand smoke have forced many cities and even states within the United States to create public smoking bans. Many bans have made it illegal to smoke in restaurants, bars, casinos and arenas, where smoking once was permitted inside the buildings. ( Read more Smoking - A Dangerous Habit )
