In developed countries, cigarette smoking has become a deviant behaviour which is especially prevalent among the Poor. We used 31 in-depth interviews conducted with poor smokers living in Southern France to investigate how these smokers justify their smoking habit and judge anti-tobacco policies. Even if they acknowledged their addiction, poor smokers claimed that smoking satisfies essential needs, they put the risk in perspective, and they accused both the tobacco industry and public health authorities. Their justifications are anchored in both the contemporary risk culture and the working-class culture, and they are likely to deflect the prevention discourse.