[sneak]

"Some people are irresponsible" does not justify the universal deployment of terrible and profound oppression such as you describe.

Indeed, we have attempted it. Remember prohibition? We still have myriad addicts, have wasted unconscionable amounts of money, and senselessly ruined staggering amounts of lives attempting to pretend that society has claims to or on the physical body of an individual.

If the "burden on society" argument was in any way real, cigarettes and alcohol would be outlawed. It's simply a red herring.

[jkrems]

I'm not sure about the US, but in Germany at least heavy taxation of cigarettes and alcohol is justified by "burden on society". There are more than two options (not do anything vs. outlaw).