Yes, Ireland has become a cesspool of iniquity.
Ah, what a shame! The churches and monasteries lie in ruins, only to be replaced with venues of revelry and pornography stores!
It also seems like every single soul in Ireland uses tobacco, too. What a shame.
Tobacco is a perfectly legitimate, morally neutral product. Lamenting its use in the same breath as the other (very real) evils you mention implies there is something intrinsically wrong with tobacco or its use, which is objectively untrue.
Haha we're not going to turn this into a thread that has nothing to do with the topic at hand.
But, I will respond, and if you respond- I will not respond back.
My argument there is not whether the plant itself-created by God- is evil. God created all things and He said it was good. No matter my personal views on tobacco, the plant was created by God to be good.
My argument is its decriminalized recreational use. Plants of this nature (coupled with opium, THC grade marijuana [not hemp], the coca plant, etc.) are to be criminalized and used for medicinal purposes by a licensed physician. Not by anyone's own personal anecdote.
Recreational tobacco use (especially when smoked) has been known to cause every ailment under the sun. It physically manipulates chemicals in the mind that were not meant for individuals to manipulate on their own. It causes mania in individuals.
It contains a poison (nicotine). Even in the smallest amount, it is classed as a poison, so don't give me the "any large amount of x can kill y" spiel because 60 milligrams (which is absolutely nothing in the medicinal world) would
kill a 150 pound adult. Haven't you heard of the
children (who provide the world this bane out of no choice of their own) who get nicotine poisoning just from handling that plant when it is not dried? Going along this same paradigm, isn't it sinful to willfully ingest a poison as per the 5th Commandment? A quick examine of conscience will confirm this. "My people perish for a lack of knowledge." Don't play ignorance either.
It has been classed as a hallucinogen for quite some time before becoming classed as a stimulant. The Native Americans would use tobacco in order that they may more closely associate with their "spirits" (read devils).
There have been Popes and theologians who have condemned its
use (i.e. even just once),
not its overuse. That's the key difference between it and say, alcohol. Point is, don't touch the stuff.
There are herbs and supplements that are much more subtle and have healing qualities that put the recreational use of tobacco to shame. They do not exhibit the disastrous side effects of tobacco either. Marijuana is NOT one of them!
So, in conclusion, tobacco is not as harmless as one may assume it is.