Why is there a lot of tax on cigarettes?

It is unconstitutional. Same as taxes on many other things. But our leaders just keep making are government bigger and bigger, which means we get less and less freedom.

In the UK, around 85% of the price of cigarettes is tax and even higher in other countries. Isn't that excessive enough? Increasing the tax would increase the demand for (and supply of) counterfeit and smuggled cigarettes. It would also increase the demands to tax fizzy drinks, junk food and alcohol at the same level.

Besides, if nobody smoked, all those career prohibitionists in Tobacco Control would lose their lucrative "jobs for life".