Tobacco and Responsibility

Paper Summary:

This paper answers several questions about tobacco and the societal response to the use of tobacco. The writer notes first that tobacco is a legal product and remains so in spite of clear evidence of the deleterious health effects associated with its use, while other harmful products are controlled or outlawed entirely. The writer points out that alcohol is controlled, for instance, and heroin is outlawed. The writer maintains that in both cases, a reason can be cited: they not only contribute to poor health, but they alter mental functioning so that the user poses a direct threat to the public.

From the Paper:

"Tobacco is a legal product and remains so in spite of clear evidence of the deleterious health effects associated with its use, while other harmful products are controlled or outlawed entirely. Alcohol is controlled, for instance, and heroin is outlawed. In both cases, a reason can be cited - they not only contribute to poor health, but they alter mental functioning so that the user poses a direct threat to the public. Still, the argument has been raised that tobacco should be controlled because of the health costs to society, while others argue from the liberty standpoint that people should be free to use a product that harms them if that is their wish. At the same time, it could be argued that all such substances should be legalized given that any safety risk is largely speculative for most users. Alcohol is controlled, but it is not outlawed."

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