The other day, I watched my friend do something I hadn’t done in more than three months. He removed the plastic wrapping from a new pack of Marlboro Reds, opened it up and started smoking a cigarette. He looked immensely content holding the burning tobacco in his right hand, puffing on it systematically. For him, this has been a routine since the age of 13.

Like many Americans, my friend is addicted to nicotine.Nicotine is his companion multiple times during a given day. Like any good friend, nicotine is with him through the good and the bad. It’s there when he wakes up in the morning. It’s there after every meal. It’s there when he has to take a break and clear his mind.

Nicotine is always willing to hang out when no one else will.

I, too, was once lost in this cycle. I had never smoked a cigarette before I came to college. Heck, I’d never even had a beer. Unfortunately, the people I came to hang out with in Ames had. For a year I smoked occasionally, never buying my own pack. Then, out of nowhere, it went from a hobby to a habit.

I don’t know why I let my smoking get out of control. Maybe it always was, and I wouldn’t let myself see it. I once tried to quit just so I knew I could. When I ended my two week sabbatical, I was back smoking with a vengeance, undoubtedly making up for lost time with my addictive friend.

Once I made up my mind, it wasn’t hard for me to quit. The first two weeks were filled with cravings, but it was nothing I couldn’t handle. The fact that most of my friends smoked didn’t help anything. My resilience prevailed and months later I am still smoke-free. But don’t let my experience fool you. For many, such an attempt would be quashed immediately by the undying need for a fix. It’s impossible for non-smokers to understand. I can’t put into words what it feels like.

I fear that my aforementioned friend will never be able to escape the prison he is trapped in. It’s like I only spent a weekend in county, but he’s literally on death row.

Tobacco is a dangerous substance. It is addicting both physically and mentally in a way similar to hard drugs such as cocaine and heroin.

Tobacco is not used for medicinal purposes, so why is it legal? I can only offer two possible answers.

Smoking is a traditional pastime as is drinking alcohol. Prohibition of alcohol was a flop, so we can assume the same would happen with tobacco.

Also, it doesn’t take a genius to figure out that Big Tobacco has power in the political world. Why else would the government ignore the devastating effects of this drug?

As much as I hate tobacco, I do believe it should remain legal. People have a right to abuse their bodies as they see fit.

However, when their actions adversely affect others, a line must be drawn. The direct implication of this logic is the Ames smoking ban. Excuse me, it was the smoking ban. The unfortunate overturn of the ban will allow a person’s right to good health to be once again neglected.

This logic is universal. Everyone has the right to do whatever he or she wants, provided it doesn’t infringe on the rights of others. Why this idea has been abandoned in this case is confounding.

Second-hand smoke is a proven killer. Research done at the University of California in San Francisco has shown a 60 percent reduction in heart attacks during the first 6 months after the implementation of a smoking ban. Not only does such a ban save the lives of non-smokers, it serves as an aid for those smokers wishing to quit.

My smoking friend will eventually kill himself. It’s a sad truth that he must face. Writing this column has made me feel quite remorseful in regard to my actions toward his addiction. I sit idly by him, even buying cigarettes for him on occasion.

But hopefully, my experiences will help him to kick the habit. I would venture to guess that he would heed the advice from an ex-smoker a lot more than the advice from a non-smoker.

I’m not going to give up on him. Both of our fathers died while we were in high school; mine from heart disease, his from cancer. Someday, he will realize that a shortened lifespan is not worth the disgusting habit.

I just hope it happens sooner rather than later.