The war on drugs is expensive, though, and most drugs don't make you wind up in the hospital. We can educate folks to try to lessen hospitalization, like ensuring purity and strength. We already do this with alcohol.

True, but heavy smokers and drinkers tend to die earlier removing the states burden off supporting them later on. So it kind of evens out.

Yeah, but that smoker would have paid a lot more in tobacco taxes and won’t be collecting a pension.

I suppose there's even environmental benefits to smoking/drinking yourself into an early grave. Think of all the resources you won't consume and CO2 you won't emit by not living those extra years

My comment is kind of glib but I recall hearing about a study in Canada decades ago that looked at this.

What they found was that smokers, on average, died early so they collected a decade or two less in pension payments. They paid tens of thousands in tobacco taxes. And when they did die, it was relatively quick and not that expensive to treat (chemotherapy). Overall, smokers were a net benefit to society.

That equation might have changed today with expensive lung cancer drugs and longer life.

I once looked into purchasing pure ethanol, for the production of a topical liniment for martial artists. The duty to be paid per litre is eye wateringly high, to the point that it constitutes almost the vast majority of the cost. I came away wondering how manufacturers make any money. I guess, by volume.