Tobacco: opposing viewpoints. Now, more than ever, more and more people are beginning to look at tobacco use as a major public health concern. It is nineteen ninety nine, and the number of smokers is rising while the average age of smoking initiation decreases. There are those that believe using tobacco of any type should be illegal, or at least restricted. Others believe it is up to the person to choose whether to use tobacco products or not, however most of these people believe tobacco companies should warn their customers of their products harmful affects.History Tobacco has been used since before our nation was colonized. During the seventeenth century, many British settlers earned their living in America from tobacco. King James attempted to decrease the profit made by tobacco growers by imposing heavy tariffs on their tobacco crops. Tobacco use was very well established by this time however, so the taxes didnt slow production or demand. Many countries at this time had prohibited or restricted use of tobacco. Harsh punishments for smoking tobacco were enacted in Russia, Turkey, and other countries, especially China where tobacco sellers were decapitated.Cigarette smoking did not become popular until the late eighteen hundreds. Although the U.S. was not the first country to use cigarettes, in eighteen eighty three American James Bonsack developed a cigarette rolling machine. Where a skilled cigarette roller could roll about four hundred cigarettes per day, the cigarette machine could produce one hundred and twenty thousand. Mass production also caused the price of a pack of cigarettes to be cut in half.With a smoking epidemic on our hands, it was only a matter of time before an anti-smoking movement erupted. Concerned citizens pressured for anti-smoking laws. Many states adopted strict policies, some less strict. In Wisconsin and Nebraska, possession of tobacco was illegal. All states banned the sale of tobacco to children.Despite...
