[plain talk]

As well as medical expenses associated with smoking and secondhand smoke!

actually ... smokers end up costing society less because they are more likely to die earlier of heart attacks.

[TSgt]

FAIL

Smokers Cost Taxpayers $10 Billion
http://www.consumeraffairs.com/news04/2007/11/tobacco_cost.html

Smokers cost taxpayers
http://www.deseretnews.com/article/1,5143,705278247,00.html

Tobacco-Free States Spend Less on Medicaid
http://www.bio-medicine.org/medicine-news-1/Smokers-Cost-Medicaid-System-Nearly—2410-Billion-7170-1/

Study: Smokers cost Medicaid $294 million in N.C.
http://www.bizjournals.com/triangle/stories/2007/11/26/daily39.html?f=et85&ana=e_du

Researchers Say Smokers Cost Employers in Missed Work Days, Poor Performance
http://www.jointogether.org/news/research/summaries/2007/researchers-say-smokers-cost.html

[muggs]

actually ... smokers end up costing society less because they are more likely to die earlier of heart attacks.

My sister starts chemo tomorrow morning for lung cancer. She will be costing tax payer a lot because she has no insurance. She still smokes and will be very pissed when she learns her savior caused her cigarettes to increase in price.