If Smoking is so dangerous, why make it legal?

Question

I asked my teacher, and she said because of 'freedom of choice'. Then I asked why people don't have the freedom to do things like pot and meth. She said because they kill people. Well smoking kills people, too, so why IS it even legal? I live in Illinois, and starting in 2008 you can't smoke in any public restaurant, on the streets, or while working. Still, people can smoke on their own property. So why IS it legal if it can be just as deadly as other illegal drugs?

Also, if tobacco is such a big money-maker, why doesn't the government legalize other illegal drugs to make more money, like marijuana and meth?

Answer 1

the government keeps cigg legal because it makes billions off of them and b/c of pressure from farmers and cigg companies.

the govt cannot make much money off of weed because it is too easy to grow and distribute. it was made illegal in the first place b/c of competition with cotton farms.

just because a drug is illegal doesn't mean its bad for you, and just because one is legal doesn't mean its good. this is the hard truth. politics and economy are what determine what is legal and illegal.

lsd was made illegal because it played a part in the civil rights movement and was thought to create civil unrest.'


oh and pot doesn't kill people. and meth doesn't kill as much as it just destroys you body and life

Answer 2

Well its not easy to outlaw a big habit even if you think its wrong.
At one time our U S Constitution had an amendment banning alchohol and liquor. The mob of the 20's sold it illegally. Moonshining was a big thing across the country. When FDR was elected that amendment was repealed.
It will be hard to ban smoking for the same type reason.
I really dont think the public realizes just how many people die every year from smoking related deseases.
I know several young adults that have cancer from smoking its really a very deadly habit

Answer 3

So far about 4 people have died in a year over synthetic weed 1 person over real weed. Neither weed or synthetic weed has killed as many people as alcohol or tobacco in 1 single day!!! What's with this stupid dumbfck media circus ok 5 people total died last year from synthetic weed and real weed! Each day 6 die from alcohol poisoning and 200 from crashes and organ failure. And every day 1500 from cigarettes! What is this hypocritical bullsht! Police and sea everywhere putting people in jail over a drug that killed 6 in a year. Yet they do nothing to stop the 1500 a day from tobacco! It dosent take Einstein to see the total lunitic minded idiocy here! People that think like that are far more dangerous than the drugs! And I urge all of you to use the vote to expel as many as possible from their positions Don't cop deals demand jury trials! If enough people demand justice we can get it!

Answer 4

Smoking is legal because it brings huge profits for the tobacco companies and they spend lots of money through their lobbyists to buy the politicians that pass the laws.

They have even made the case that smoking saves medical bills because it kills off people before they would age enough to come down with a disease later in life that would cost more money to treat. Perverted logic, isn't it?

Your view is perfectly correct from a health and addiction standpoint.

Answer 5

I thinkthe main reason that you cannot make smoking illegal is the fact that it would cause such an uproar with non smokers, however i think taking measures such as (like you said) prohibiting smoking in all publc places will further increase the stigma which goeswith smoking, which is good as it puts moe people off and eventually maybe there will be so little smokers that it will be poaaible to make it illegal. BTW, it is illegal to smoke anywhere in public in my whole country...quite rightly

Answer 6

World over, Policy makers are adopting double standards with regard to health care of citizens. Governments are not capable of supplying a few pots of clean water for human consumption but they ensure that tobacco products are made available to people in every nook and corner of the world. They enforce helmet rule to safeguard head injuries of riders but are not bothered about the tobacco havoc. They want to destroy fields of poppy seeds but cannot stop growing tobacco the No.1 killer.
The number of people depending upon tobacco industry is miniscule and the cost of rehabilitating them will be nothing compared to the money being spent on research and development for cancer. The tobacco products churned out are creating life long slaves with assured death as prize. Children are increasingly becoming slaves of this habit.

Answer 7

While America was being built, the tobacco plant brought countless money into the economy. Science has since taught us that smoking is dangerous to an extent. As a society, we are deciding that it sould be illegal. Everything else is already on the books-(except alcohol & let's not discuss prohibition.)
Besides, it makes your breath, hair, and clohes stink-not just, but your books, your car, even your dog!

Answer 8

Smoking is terribly dangerous to the one doing the smoking, but does not endanger others (except from secondhand smoke) or inspire people to commit unlawful acts to acquire tobacco. The experiment with Prohibition in the 20's showed that you don't ban things without really good reason -- and tobacco doesn't qualify.

Answer 9

Tax dollars are in the billions. Many pension funds also own stock in tobacco companies also. Funny thing about these are that the same people (teachers and other State workers) who complain about smoking, are the ones who's pensions are buying the stocks.

Answer 10

There are more to it than being legal.... This s big commercial business and generates millions of dollars to big companies. Although this can be stopped right away, there a lot of lobbying in the congress and senate to really to it.... slowly but surely, the only way to stop it is not patronizing it.....