Why can alcohol and cigarettes be illegal?
They can be made illegal. Alcohol was made illegal in the US. Did it stop consumption? No. But it made Al Capone and other bootleggers very, very rich. Firstly, anything is harmful to you in sufficient amounts – ANYTHING. It isn’t the substance itself that is either inherently good or bad, but the way that it is used. Prior to modern pain-killers, antibiotics, and antisepsis, alcohol was used for pain killing, sterilizing instruments (isopropyl alcohol is still used in this manner), and killing bacteria (gargling with whiskey, for instance, will kill throat bacteria). Secondly, it is an individual’s right to choose what to consume and what not to consume. Even if the law takes it away, the individual will still find a way. Marijuana is illegal in the US, but almost as common as tobacco. The legal status has little impact on consumption. Anywhere there is demand, there will be supply. Thirdly, trying to enforce such laws is an ineffective drain on public resources. Fourth, in democratic
