saltedplug: You've not heard of "jury nullification" I take it. This often occurs in the US. In many cases the legislatures have happily turned over their respo9nsibilities to the courts so as to wash their hands of unpopular acts.
Tobacco use has had a fair hearing over the last 70 years. The jury has spoken. You and I are now an oppressed, if unrecognized and protected, minority.
Tobacco use is a purely selfish and personal choice. Prohibiting tobacco use makes sense to some.
There are no proven positives, except self-gratification, to the use of tobacco and there are proven negatives. I understand the dangers and yet choose to smoke for purely selfish reasons. That is my choice. In making that choice I limit my employment choices, possibly shorten my life, I reek of stale smoke, as does my house and vehicle, etc.
I am unsure how the plight of blacks and aborigines enters into the discussion of tobacco usage. But, if we are to conflate the argument we should not forget to include the Polar Bear, the demise of two parent home, the loss of Hamm's beer (a deeply personal loss to me), the state of Dunhill, the plight of the Maple Leafs, the inhumanity of bull fighting, whether bats or guns should be used to harvest baby seals, seat belts, marijuana, and so forth ad infinitum, ad nausium, ad abserdum . Laws are established because parts of society desire such and the reasonableness of such laws are often not part of the discussion. Voters are the engine and votes are the goal of those who write such and sign into into law.