I find the stupidist part of the whole tobacco debate is how it's legal, taxes are collected on it (lots of taxes), the farmers are even subsidzed but then the government sues the tobacco companies and tries to ban the stuff everyplace. If they are going to sue them and ban the crap from everywhere it should be illegal. But I want less government not more and prohibition worked so well

Absurd, isn't it? Subsidies and all of that. Says something about vested regional interests. One thing that ticks me off is some of the huge state tobacco settlements (ostensibly to recover health care costs) being siphoned off to pay for unrelated programs.

I'd agree, though, with your end conclusion. Prohibition nevers seems to provide an answer -- imagine how peeved Laura would be!! -- but the approach that seems to work (and Laura isn't obliged to like it either) is taxation/regulation -- sin taxes, more or less.