[been_lurking]

but a product when used as intended takes 14 years off of the life its average user, perhaps the government should try to discourage smoking

Why?

The 14 years come off the end of the smokers life. That's 14 years of social security and medicare that are paid for by the smoker while he/she is working, but never collected by the smoker since he/she dies early.

From a purely economic stand-point, it is in the government's best interest to PROMOTE smoking. It may be the only way to keep those two programs solvent for a few more years.

[megatherium]

The 14 years come off the end of the smokers life. That's 14 years of social security and medicare that are paid for by the smoker while he/she is working, but never collected by the smoker since he/she dies early.

From a purely economic stand-point, it is in the government's best interest to PROMOTE smoking. It may be the only way to keep those two programs solvent for a few more years.

That's a rather ghoulish argument for smoking! In many countries, cigarettes are a government monopoly, and public efforts to reduce smoking are minimal. Makes you wonder. At any rate, I'm glad I never smoked.