Tobacco is a plant that contains nicotine, an addictive chemical substance, tobacco contains around 7000+ chemicals, 70-80 of which are known to be cancer causing. It can be consumed in a variety of different ways such as chewing, smoking, or snorting. If the case is that we know tobacco is harmful then why is it not already banned?

Tobacco alone kills over 8 million people a year, 7 million if those deaths equate to active smokers whilst 1 million equate to passive smokers (meaning people who live around or walk past smokers and are affected). In the UK alone, it was found that 15% of adults smoke cigarettes and every year an estimated 78,000 people die from smoking in the UK every year. While the number of people actively smoking has decreased, people still are influenced by the use of tobacco, young children in particular.

Despite constant reminders from the media and advertising, 5% of teenagers in the UK have admitted to being regular smokers and 15% admitting they have tried cigarettes.

However the significant decrease in smoking over the past few years ( mainly due to education and precautions on packets) some addicts have found themselves relying on less harmful alternatives such as vaping, around 3 million people vape in the UK, usually as an alternative to smoking, and 6% of addicts rely on nicotine patches as an alternative to cigarettes Despite all the risks of smoking, some people claim that smoking relieves stress temporarily and improves memory. Some people from low income countries rely on tobacco farming to create a source of income and banning tobacco would result in mass unemployment.