You say that but three times now you have ignored my question put specifically to you:
If you approve banning tobacco or requiring a prescription because it is a dangerous and harmful substance, where do you draw the line on how far the government should go to ban dangerous and harmful substances or require a permit or prescription to get them?
Sugary drinks?
Doughnuts?
Fast food?
Lard or other highly saturaed fats?
Trans fats?
Food with high allergy potential?
Insecticides?
Aerosol sprays?
Highly caffeinated products?
Over the counter meds?
The list could go on and on and on for those products that have a harmful downside.
So where do you draw the line?
Tobacco is highly addictive, only caffine and some OTC Meds may have some minor addictive properties.
Tobacco contians Nicotine, a poison. See:
Nicotine poisoning: MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia
And the pragmatic understands that tobacco, primarily smoked, creates health problems which require costly treatment impacting all of us.
So you draw the line if the substance is 'highly addictive?" Is that what you are saying?
Nevermind that people consume even greater quantities of the other substances mentioned and suffer even more medical problems because of it?
And if it is true that tobacco use takes 10 to 30 years off your life, those would typically be the most expensive years medically. Maybe we should encourage more tobacco use so folks would die younger? That could save us billions in taking care of all those old folks who lived very healthy lives but need a lot of healthcare in their old age.
How much power do you want to give the government to force us all to be healthier to save government money?
Trans fat is also a poison but a whole bunch of legal substances have it. Not only are some foods poisonous to some people, but are immediately life threatening.
Where do you draw the line for what the government should be able to do to force you to do the right thing to live longer and be healthy?