The Autonomy Principle: Why Adults Should Be Allowed to Choose Nicotine
Competent adults have the right to make decisions about their own bodies—including decisions that carry health risks. The autonomy principle is foundational to liberal democracy. It is systematically violated by nicotine policy.
An adult can choose to drink alcohol, eat unhealthy food, engage in extreme sports, and refuse medical treatment. An adult cannot legally choose to buy flavored vaping products in many jurisdictions. **The autonomy principle—that competent adults have the right to make decisions about their own bodies—is foundational to liberal democracy. Nicotine policy has carved out an exception: nicotine users are treated as patients, not agents, and their choices are restricted 'for their own good.' The exception is ethically problematic—and increasingly contested.**
