Smokers' Rights: Should They Have Any?

I believe that smokers should have some rights within reason. As long as the smoker does not impede the rights of others and only smokes in designated areas, such as their own home, I believe that they should be allowed to smoke.

I think that that high taxes being charged on cigarettes is really unfair. It should be charged to the tobacco companies that are selling a product that we all know it's dangerous. The government should be going after the companies instead.

The government is charging higher taxes in an effort to discourage and decrease the number of smokers. As long as the government knows that cigarettes cause cancer and still allow them to be sold legally, I believe that the choice to smoke and purchase cigarettes should be left up to the consumers.

It is rather contradictory what the government has done about cigarettes. Politicians know and acknowledge that cigarettes can cause cancer, so why do they not stop the manufacturing and selling of them? Instead, the government allows companies to continue to sell cigarettes and taxes to consumers who are the ones at risk for getting cancer, not the tobacco companies. This just does not make any sense to me.

I believe that the government is using the excuse of getting cancer from cigarettes to collect higher taxes from the consumers.

Tobacco companies are big lobbyists with many politicians and pay them or their campaigns to side with them. Of course, it is an illegal but, regardless of what the politicians say, we all know that they are being paid by lobbyist groups. So, I believe, that the politicians are trying to look pro active against tobacco in the eyes of the public, while trying not to upset the tobacco companies that are probably making them rich. In essence, the government is trying to cover all sides and appear to be helping society with its best interests in mind. This is totally unfair to smokers.