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> it will never make up for the cost to the country

The opposite is true -- smokers contribute much more in taxes than the cost of smoking related illnesses [1], and more importantly, die younger so tend not to have the long lingering (very expensive) deaths of non-smokers.

See "The smoke screen" ("Yes, Prime Minister", 1986) for a comedic take on this.

[1] https://fullfact.org/economy/does-smoking-cost-much-it-makes...

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This is the video you are referring to:

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0751841/

Will check it out.

I like the idea to say we actually help the country rather than are a burden.

Plus we're generally less dogmatic, more able to commit little rebellions and care less about the consequence of our naughty behaviour so we may bring something to a country of robot health nuts whose sole worries in life are self preservation and tax savings.

Now I wouldnt go so far as to encourage people to smoke, it's still an annoying daemon running permanently bothering you constantly to refill the craving.

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