Probably the best course to avoid tobacco excise taxes, is to not smoke.

FORBES: Will E-cigarettes Become A Taxing Experience ?

In Manhattan, plenty of places get classified as tobacco bars and so avoid New York's 2003 ban.

ECONOMIST: Mint, cappuccino or kiwi-strawberry?

But investors who hate tobacco for personal reasons or avoid it due to moral qualms create trading opportunities for the rest of us.

FORBES: Zynga: When You Lose Control of Your Emotions, It's Time to Stop Trading

According to research in more than one million women, those who give up smoking by the age of 30 will almost completely avoid the risks of dying early from tobacco-related diseases.

BBC: Smoking 'poses bigger risk to women'

In general, religious investors wanted to avoid investments in companies involved in addictive substances and behavior: alcohol, tobacco and gambling.

FORBES: Magazine Article

They can enhance a sense of community, and avoid the defiance that can sabotage well-meaning laws, such as tobacco taxes that spawn smuggling.

CNN: Ethicist: Health bans and 'sin taxes' can easily backfire