If you use the US as an example (stats easier to dig up) you have 46 million people doing something that deliberately shortens their lives but everyone is going to eventually have to pay for it. It costs the US healthcare system 76 billion per year (different system I know).....and you have Altria who controls 50% of the market selling 15 billion in cigarettes per year. They are the gorilla in this market. They have two objectives : sell to kids and sell overseas where sales are up 2% per year. They spend 12 billion per year on tobacco marketing
. They can't advertise in the US like they used to so they are going after places like Indonesia where there is minimal regulation and they can appeal to kids by sponsoring concerts and selling packages with cartoon characters. If tobacco companies are not regulated they will do almost anything to reach the kids market. 1,300 Americans die every day and one every minute because of smoking and the US currently spends 17% of their GDP on healthcare and that costs everyone personally. Why not sue them!