Why are cigarettes still legal?

The Democratic Presidential candidate Bernie Sanders has raised a question about why cigarettes remain a legal product in the US, according to a Politico.com story relayed by the TMA.

In an interview aired on April 24 on NBC’s ‘Meet the Press’, Sanders said he opposed Philadelphia’s proposed “totally regressive” tax on sugary drinks to pay for pre-kindergarten education.

But when asked if he felt the same way about cigarettes, he said: “there’s a difference between cigarettes and soda … cigarettes are causing cancer … and a dozen other diseases [and] there is almost the question as to why it remains a legal product in this country”.

Sanders said the tax on sugary drinks would result in poorer people paying even more in taxes if they bought soda.