Of course no government will come out and publicly condone smoking. But despite popular belief, smokers actually subsidise the NHS. The treasury takes in approximately £12 billions in duty and tax on all tobacco products. Yet it is estimated that the cost to the NHS for the treatment of smoking related diseases/illness is £6 billions. These figures do not take into account savings on state pensions and other benefits because smokers die earlier on average.
PS not trying to justify smoking - I gave up 3 years ago - merely correcting a widely accepted misconception
