Er... the artificial nicotine in tobacco actually is addictive- it's a chemical that will literally put you into a mild withdrawal, like a Heroin Lite. THAT is criminal. A fairly determined person can still stop smoking without all these bull**** patches and such, but it's tough- and the same thing applies to opium.
A weak personality with an addictive tendency can render you in the thrall of grease, but the same thing could be said for eating ****, were it good tasting. People can get hooked on anything- they can get genuinely addicted to only a few substances in this world.