Why is smoking legal?

Question

The whole industry is based on addiction and exploitation. Why is this looked upon favourably by our Government to the point where they tax the product (UK)? It is wholly hypocritical. Do the government turn a blind eye because they earn so much tax? Is there a case to bring charges against the government for turning a blind eye? Either all drugs should be illegal or legal and controlled IMHO.

yes sport can be dangerous but it doesnt ALWAYS cause death whereas smoking does. The governement pick and choose what they legislate on to suit their political goals and coffers .

smoking is not a choice so much when people get hooked as it is ADDICTIVE

exactly petrel - thats called political spin

the government are playing with peoples lives - is that what we call politics these days?

Im actually more for legalising and controlling ALL substances....as Adults we should be able to take responsibility for ourselves based on the information we can find about each 'drug'. More tax could be derived this way and quality would be controlled.

Nicotine is a poison and the government know cigarretes are addictive and the additives are carconogenic and people may choose to start smoking but it is hard to stop as it is addictive. The point im trying to make is if smoking cigarettes is legal why arent all drugs? where is the difference? drugs could be priced out of the reach of kids and teenagers. Amsterdam is a test case and legalisation seems to work.

Answer 1

Basically, it's legal because they make a lot of money out of it, and making it illegal at this point would not actually stop people from smoking but would take all that money into the black economy.

I agree with you that it seems inconsistent to make cannabis illegal when drugs like alcohol and tobacco are legal despite being much more harmful. The only explanation I can offer for that is that the dangers of tobacco were not widely understood when the legislation was drawn up. As for alcohol, it's so easy to produce that it seems pointless to make it illegal.

Answer 2

Firstly, Smoking doesn't 'always' cause death so its not really a valid argument, secondly what do you class as a drug? Alcohol? Caffine? Paracetamol? Heroin? All can be addictive and if taken over a long period of time, will most likely cause a condition which is incompatible with life. Fact is, unless you have everything you consume in moderation then you'll most likely experience adverse effects and get ill or worse die.

If you ban the whole thing outright, you simply drive it underground - it'll be smuggled in just as it is now - just look at what happened during prohibition in the US. Hard drugs are illegal at the moment but it doesn't stop people taking 'E', Cocaine, Heroin, Cannabis does it? Its just driven underground.

Smoking is technically controlled, just look at the amount of tax on it, and you can't buy it unless you are over 16 - in which other way could you control it? Prescription? or would you limit where you could smoke? i.e. what is happening next year in England and Wales?

You just have to look at the practicality of it all, anyway as from next year we're getting the no smoking laws introduced into Bars etc just like Ireland and Scotland.

Anyway, smoking helps to pay for the NHS and the black hole that Gordon Brown has discovered in his books.

PS: I don't smoke & no you couldn't sue the government for not introducing a law to stop you smoking as its personal choice.

Answer 3

Umm i dont believe in smoking but people can do pretty much what they want. Tobacco isnt a drug like weed or crack that causes major emotional or psychological changes. Drinking actually causes more of a shift in your psychology than tobacco. When you have "someone" start banning things, where do they stop? Its really hard for government to stop taking leeway when they are given it. So today is tobacco, tomarrow, porn. Not bad right. Well since some people dont like romance novels, they can tack that on as a form of porn. And since some fantasy novels have love scenes... you think im kidding but there was a guy running for governor in Texas who wanted a 100% tax on all computer games. So a 10 dollar game would cost 20. People will always look for ways of controlling others.

Answer 4

There's so much to the whole smoking saga I wouldn't know where to start. It is a disgusting habit, smells, stains and to add to smells - stinks! However, it's a habit enjoyed by so so many and for some it's one of their only luxuries - quite sad isn't it. But true. Plus as others say, the government get dosh outta it so no major support coming from them. Oh well...looks like we'll be living in a smoke filled world forever. I know there's other issues out there just as bad but as this question is about smoking thought i'd keep to it xxx

Answer 5

Smoking was a part of society long before it was known how dangerous it was.

The same is true of alcohol and drinking, it too is dangerous and addictive, but legal and acceptable.

Making something illegal doesn't make it go away, it simply turns it over to the criminals for distribution. Read about prohibition in the United States and how well it worked.

Answer 6

I sort of agree to an exten with what you are saying but the government has to consider human rights and the right to have a life. But then you could also say that we have the right to life and that because they are smoking it is causing us harm and thats why the government has introduced the law which stops people from smoking in public places such as pubs/bars and restaurants and most shopping centres or shops don't allow it either

Answer 7

the uk government sucks big time lol as for smoking well if the ban does goes thru im still gonna smoke when n where i bleedin want!!! end of the day u gonna die anyway so why not make the most of it?? did u know even having sex can kill u lol was reported in the papers not too long ago. oh n don't someone start sayin smoking makes your life shorter boll0cks cos i knew a lady who lived to be 97 n she was a chimney all her life.. when the time for u to die u will die when it hasn't smoke all u can cos u ain't gonna get another chance at it lmao all u none smokers out there should get yourselves on to m'boro lights to start with as its quite a good smoke :p

Answer 8

Careful what you wish for.

Why are people allowed to eat foods that are bad for them? Why are they allowed to participate in sports when there is a major chance of injury? Perhaps you'd like the government to come into each and every home and look it over for potential safety problems.

Is that really the way you want to live? Where exactly do you want it to end? And, do you really think that any government will stop exactly where you think it should? No one in history ever has. They get power, and they want more.

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Answer 9

Freedom of choice? I don't personally wanna smell like an ashtray or give myself lung cancer but I'm not going to try and stop someone else doing it if they so want as its a free country. (as long as they don't make me breathe their smoke).

Also the fact that a lot of powerful people make money through the tobacco industry and money talks louder than health in the world of politics.

Answer 10

The trouble with making things illegal is that it just drives them underground. If you think of the prohibition laws in the US it just meant that speakeasy's opened and people brewed their own (potentially lethal) alcohol and drank that instead. There will always be people in a society who wish to drink / smoke / take pot etc. and if you outlaw it, people will just find an illegal way to satisfy their needs with potentially more dangerous consequences.