"Oh don't be such an ass. Cigarettes are a legal commodity. Always has been."
The illegality of marijuana has been set by the kind of interference of government that you have said you don't agree with. It seems to me that you don't actually mind the government restricting what other people can do as long as they aren't restricting you. I wonder if you would mind if you were in the position where someone was legally smoking a joint near you in a restaurant.
The differences between the overall bad effects of marijuana use and tobacco use are negliable. There is logically no reason to support one and want to ban the other.
Your arguments in support of tobacco have destroyed most of the common arguments against legalising marijuana anyway. For example one common argument against legalising maruijana is that it would cost the taxpayers lots in paying for the medical effects. But you have already destroyed that argument by pointing out that tobacco users pay these costs through their purchases (and it would be no different with marijuana)
Listen. This is about cigarettes and tobacco products. Legal.
Pot = not legal.
Also, pot heads are getting their rights while smoker's are losing ours. I see no justice. And I would much rather pass a smoker on the highway any day then a pot smoker. At least my cigarettes don't make me a limp dishrag and/or make me all la la in the head!
Once pot is made legal, we can then discuss it. For now, I stick with legal commodities.