The War on Drugs, a phrase worthy of newspeak if there ever was one, is going tremendous lengths to not include the newest social taboo: cigarettes.
Why is this? Since the 30s the causal link between cigarettes and cancer has been well known (thank you Nazi Germany). In 2009 there is no question that cigarette smoke contains over 19 known carcinogens, some of which are actually radioactive. In the late 90s it was discovered that cigarette smoke causes mutations in the p53 gene, a little piece of protein in DNA known as “The Guardian of the Genome”. When p53 is corrupted the body loses its most potent check on irregular cell growth, often leading to cancer.
Aside from the risks taken by the smoker, numerous studies have shown that second hand smoke is a major health risk for non-smokers. Simply inhaling second hand smoke subjects everyone close a smoker to nearly all the same health risks. So the risk of smoking does not end with the user – it extends to everyone in the room.
How is it possible that this incredibly harmful substance is legally sold in supermarkets and gas stations the world over? How is heroin (certainly a dangerous and highly addictive drug), which only effects the user and not those standing around him, considered a Schedule 1 controlled substance while cigarettes, which produce a free floating cloud of cancerous chemicals, can be sold to any 18 year old with an ID?
To put it simply: profit. There’s no money to be made on banning cigarettes.
