Liquor is responsible for as much or more death and misery than cigarettes. Just wondered why they pick on cigs and not booze. (No, I don't drink or smoke)
I understand from you FR page that you are young and may be fighting the indoctrination you are receiving, but you need to understand that these awful things, booze and cigarettes, also have a plus side. People enjoy them.
I say this, as I said as someone who doesn't smoke cigarettes unless you count about ten of them more than 40 years ago. But also I say this as someone whose father died probably prematurely from his smoking habit at age 73. He liked his cigarettes. They gave him pleasure. I could tell they gave him pleasure.
The same is true for alcohol. Sure, there are people who abuse their FREEDOM and do damage to themselves and to others because they abuse their FREEDOM. But if you come up to Saratoga this summer I can show you a single bar where up to 2500 people are drinking and having a good time. (Well, maybe they're not all drinking, but most of them are.) If you wouldn't enjoy it, that's okay, but it's not a reason to tax it.
Taxes are/were supposed to be about raising revenue; NOT about controlling behavior. Every tax that seeks to control a person's behavior restricts his FREEDOM. And FREEDOM is something that quite a few of us here at FR cherish.
ML/NJ