Who would have thought the biggest debate about straws was not on how many holes they have, but if they should be banned or not?
California has made a state law which prohibits restaurants handing out plastic straws unless requested by the customer. In an effort to protect the environment, this initiative taking hold over the next year has been undertaken by Starbucks and American Airlines. 
According to Hilary Brueck of Business Insider, the world uses 300 million metric tons of plastic. Although small straws may not look like much of a difference, it is the idea of cutting back on plastic use, which is better for the environment.
Additionally, Seth Borenstein of AP reports how plastic straws make up 2,000 tons of the 9 million tons of plastic waste in the ocean. The ocean is not only a home for fish, turtles and birds, but it is also a food source for humans. So, the absence of 2,000 tons of waste, which could easily become a reality with the banning of straws, could save animal and human lives. 
Maybe California is not crazy after all. In fact, maybe it should be a nationwide initiative to phase out using straws and start using less plastics. 
Most people agree the environment is a very important topic which needs to be addressed.
Straws, in themselves, are not terrible things. In fact, they have been around for thousands of years. You can thank a mint julep and somebody tired of using rye for a straw, as Sarah Gibbens of National Geographic explains. At first, paper straws were invented, but it was not until the 1900’s plastic straws started to be use because they were sturdier and cheaper than their paper counterparts.
However, the cost of using paper to make straws outweighs the cost of the environment being harmed. This is why it is important we ban the use of plastic straws, and not straws themselves. Straws are actually helpful for those who have muscular dystrophy or any other ailments which inhibit them from drinking regularly without a straw. 
A ban on plastic straws might actually save human beings from themselves, as the plastic straws can cause several health hazards and side effects. According to Christy Brissette of The Washington Post, some such side effects include wrinkles, cavities and additional chemicals released by UV rays if straws are left out. 
Humans owe it to ourselves to not drink with plastic straws. Our health and the wellbeing of the environment are equally important, yet people continue to sacrifice both without thinking twice.
There is one exception to plastic straws which I am willing to make. When the first “bendy” straw was created to help with the drinking of milkshakes, hospitals used them to help their patients drink from cups when laying in bed. People who are unable to drink without straws are the only ones who should use plastic straws. If you use a straw, what are you saying about yourself? 
It is not asking for much, as most people can drink and have drank beverages without the aid of straws. Some people may argue it is the only way to drink beverages, but really, straws are unnecessary to a person without disabilities. 
So, people need to ban straws, ban plastics and end the notion we need these things to live a regular life, much less to survive. 
The time we become straw-free as a whole is the time we can make sure we are better off, both with our health and the environment. Even if straws do not produce the most un-biodegradable waste, cutting even the little amount of plastic would be monumental in reducing our carbon footprint. We have to start somewhere, so why not straws?