Are 20% of Americans Self-Destructive?

Regardless of overwhelming evidence that smoking is the nation's number one preventable cause of death, 1 in 5 Americans still smoke. The idea that there is an irreducible number of people who will smoke, no matter what, is probably true; but it is much less than one in five people. Utah, for example, has a (smoking) prevalence rate of only 9 percent.

In another state, Oregon, the tobacco industry spends $3.50 per person annually on “marketing,” which is a convenient term for addicting people and keeping them that way.

What should be done? What is government’s role? Or should government have a role at all? For the full story on who smokes and who does not, go here.