State should not profit from cigarette sales, Jesuit journal says

Published: 2004-12-03

ROME (CNS) -- Smoking is a serious moral issue for those who damage their own health and the health of others, and for the state when it reaps revenues from taxes on tobacco products, an influential Jesuit journal said. The journal, La Civilta Cattolica, said in its Dec. 4 issue that the fight against tobacco addiction must go beyond "No smoking" signs and cigarette package warnings. The article was written by Jesuit Father Giuseppe De Rosa, a historian and frequent commentator on moral issues. Prior to publication, the magazine's articles are read and approved by the Vatican's Secretariat of State. The article reviewed the tremendous health and economic damages caused by tobacco abuse and said authorities -- particularly in Europe -- were generally undervaluing the problem. The moral issue of damaging one's health, it said, extends to the social costs of caring for the serious illnesses that result from long-term tobacco use, including cardiovascular disease and cancer.

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