If smoking is bad for health, then why are the Cigarettes company allowed to manufacture and sell them?

Question

In Canada, most places and buildings you go to, you will see the "No Smoking" sign placed inside the buildings. Places such as Malls, Hospitals, Schools, Offices, Plazas, Supermarkets are all places where smoking inside is prohibited but still allowed if done outside within 10 metres of the buildings. If the Government is so keen in discouraging people from smoking, then why is the Government allowing the Cigarettes company to manufacture them and sell them.

Smoking had been known to cause a lot of health problems in smokers and every year the Government spent millions of dollars in treating smokers with health problems. This without doubt will cost money which could have been used to improve the lives of other people who needed the money most, such as the poor people and the unemployed ones.

Answer 1

It all boils down to profit and taxes. Government wants taxes from the tobacco company and the company wants profit from the people. Each year the Government receives a large portion of taxes from the tobacco industry. Even though the Government may be spending quite a lot of money in treating patients with problems due to smoking cigarettes, the Government do cover up the losses in the taxes they receive from the tobacco company. Also, the government wants to give people more choice of pleasure and entertainment, one of which is smoking cigarettes. They want to keep the people happy so that people don't revolt and overturn democracy. They would hardly care much about the danger of smoking as long as the industry benefits them through taxes.