In Defence of Smokers

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It is time to revisit the ‘public conversation’ on tobacco regulation. Smoking, in general, has clearly been in the crosshairs of governments around the world for decades, with a fast trend towards placing as many limits and inconveniences on smokers as possible. Sometimes, the final goal is even explicitly articulated as a ban on tobacco products altogether. Smoking is, of course, a major health hazard, and smoking rates long being on the decline is an unambiguously positive development. This, however, does not mean that any and all government action is justified or warranted in pursuit of such ends.