Before reading this, please note that I understand most of you are against smoking. I believe that people should be allowed to believe in what they want, and that we should agree to disagree. However, as someone with Libertarian-leanings, I also believe in self-ownership and personal responsibility.



Tobacco often has carcinogens due to either the high-phosphate soil it is grown in which causes it to absorb naturally-occurring polonium, and/or the nitrosamines which result from a chemical reaction due to burning the tobacco and nicotine. The nicotine itself does not cause cancer. This means that if the government really does want people to quit the more hazardous forms of tobacco, they would push the safer alternatives like the gum and e-cigarettes. Tobacco companies should be careful as to what they put in their products, as the Swedes treat their oral tobacco the same way as food, and have fewer incidences of tobacco-related cancer.


There are two tobacco bills getting close to being law. One's getting close to be signed by the president, and while I like the idea of the FDA having control over what goes into oral and smoking tobacco, what I don't like is how products introduced after February 2007 would have to be pulled, even if they are likely or proven to be less harmful than the ones made before the cutoff date. Most if not all tobacco products created before then have a far higher carcinogen content than the newer ones.

I also disagree with outlawing most flavoured cigarettes because there are already laws that prohibit the sale of cigarettes to minors. If someone sells tobacco products to minors, he will get into trouble, as will the store selling the tobacco. As for anyone who buys tobacco for minors, maybe parents should start being responsible parents and paying attention to what their kids are doing, who they're hanging around with, etc. Whether or not the candy flavours attract new smokers is none of the government or anyone else's concern. What about the fruit-flavoured wine coolers and booze? Should that be outlawed as well to prevent kids from trying alcohol later in life and getting hooked? My business is mine, and your business is yours. And I've been given the old argument of tax-dollars being spent on healthcare for tobacco-related diseases, but I for one would rather be allowed to be responsible for my own health problems due to engaging in risky or stupid behaviour. I don't want your tax-dollars, just freedom.

The other one that I seriously hope doesn't pass makes most tobacco(except for cigars, for some odd reason) unmailable. It's all 'for the children', but parents, not the government, should be responsible for a kid's online activity. Making tobacco unmailable is not going to stop the problem, especially when it excludes cigars - people will likely just buy a few cigars, shred them, and then roll them into smaller cigarettes and sell them on the black market. And there are other ways people will get money from black market tobacco, since they can grow their own and make smokes or snuff. In the long run it may deprive the government of tobacco-derived tax money.

Worst of all, this PACT Act bill mentions terrorist groups making money from selling tobacco on the black market [link] but this law may actually make it easier for these groups to make money, since it robs honest, law-abiding shops of their customer base. It's a simple lack of competition, likely not intentional, just poorly thought-out. The alcohol prohibition didn't work, and neither will this.

Don't get me wrong - I'm all for lowering and eventually getting rid of smoking-related diseases, and keeping kids away from a product that can make them sick, but it is my belief that adults should be allowed to care for themselves and be adults. That includes being responsible and either choosing to not do something stupid, or to be prepared to suffer the consequences of a bad choice. I understand that tobacco(at least most of its consumable forms), junk food, fast food, and many other things are bad for people, but being an adult means taking responsibility for one's actions rather than blaming everyone else.


I will accept all input and thoughts on this, including all-caps flames. Your views will likely differ from mine but I won't take it personally.