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According to the 2012 Surgeon General’s Report, very few people start smoking after age 25. Nearly 9 out of 10 adult smokers started by age 18, and 99% started by age 26. Anyone who has witnessed adolescent peer pressure knows exactly why children start smoking. And without packaged cigarettes, smoking would be much less practical for children.

Children cannot get cigarettes without adults providing access. Virtually all smoking adults are participants in this corruption to a degree, either by being a poor role model or actively or passively providing access.

Incidentally, smoking was not known in Europe until the 1520’s and people managed just fine before then. And tobacco was the reason slavery was first introduced to Virginia.

Just because your obvious bias does not allow you to accept the truth, doesn’t make you any less wrong.

According to the 2012 Surgeon General’s Report, very few people start smoking after age 25. Nearly 9 out of 10 adult smokers started by age 18, and 99% started by age 26.

Very few people start doing anything remotely "adult" after the age of 25 or even 18. They are not "children". They are young adults, certainly by 18. And even 15 and 16 year-olds are not "children", even though legally they are not yet adults.

Anyone who has witnessed adolescent peer pressure knows exactly why children start smoking.

Again with the "children". These young adults generally don't start because of peer pressure. They start because they are in that awkward stage between childhood and true adulthood, and they are experimenting. Almost everyone I know who smokes, started because of drinking. I never once saw someone exert peer pressure on another. In fact, to the extent that there was peer pressure, it went the other way. If others in high school knew you didn't smoke, other smokers would do everything they could to discourage you. In talking to many other smokers over the years, my experience was typical.

And non-smokers almost completely ostracized anyone seen smoking.

The "peer pressure" nonsense is a complete myth in 99% of the cases.

And without packaged cigarettes, smoking would be much less practical for children.

Again with the "children". For teens, packaging made little difference. Roll-your-own tobacco cigarettes were actually popular. But I really don't know what you are arguing for or comparing against. I have never heard of unpackaged cigarettes, except for loose tobacco.

Children cannot get cigarettes without adults providing access. Virtually all smoking adults are participants in this corruption to a degree, either by being a poor role model or actively or passively providing access.

Again with the "children". Teens have little difficulty getting anything without adults there to hold their wee little hands. Maybe PajamaBoy looks to role models to guide his behavior. No-one I knew did. We did what we did, because that is what we wanted to do. No other reason necessary, and no adult was going to stand (successfully) in our way.

Incidentally, smoking was not known in Europe until the 1520’s and people managed just fine before then

People who have never heard of steak can do fine on chicken alone. What possible relevance does this have? Nobody said that smoking was essential to life itself. Just that it is used primarily because people enjoy it.

And tobacco was the reason slavery was first introduced to Virginia.

And the winner of the "completely irrelevant point" goes to ...

Just because your obvious bias does not allow you to accept the truth, doesn’t make you any less wrong.

I am frequently wrong, but not here. And I have never had difficulty accepting truth. What I have difficulty accepting is screeds that appeal solely to emotion and herd mentality, since they have no real connection to any underlying truth.