It's his position against the drug war that makes Ron Paul so volcanically controversial here on DU.

[Fumesucker]

69. The facts are that all drug deaths together, everything is less than twice as much as alcohol..

And only about ten percent of the deaths from tobacco..

But any 21 year old can buy tobacco and alcohol over the counter at any convenience store in the country.

http://www.drugwarfacts.org/cms/Causes_of_Death#Cause

(2006 - cause of death - alcohol) "In 2006, a total of 22,073 persons died of alcohol-induced causes in the United States (Tables 23 and 24). This category includes not only deaths from dependent and nondependent use of alcohol, but also accidental poisoning by alcohol. It excludes unintentional injuries, homicides, and other causes indirectly related to alcohol use as well as deaths due to fetal alcohol syndrome."

(2006 - causes of death - drug induced) "In 2006, a total of 38,396 persons died of drug-induced causes in the United States (Tables 21 and 22). This category includes not only deaths from dependent and nondependent use of legal or illegal drugs, but also poisoning from medically prescribed and other drugs. It excludes unintentional injuries, homicides, and other causes indirectly related to drug use, as well as newborn deaths due to the mother’s drug use."

(2000 - causes of death - leading causes) "The leading causes of death in 2000 were tobacco (435,000 deaths; 18.1% of total US deaths)