Hmm. But is that the difference between opiate and nicotine addiction? Or the difference between the restrictions we placed on them?

In other words if we would treat tobaco the way we treat the hard drugs, would people addicted to it perform crimes to get their fix on the surely much more expensive black market?

I truly don’t know the answer.

No, they did it because the government supports the prices of opiates, which could easily be made for a nickel a dose. There's nothing intrinsic about opiates that gives you an unquenchable appetite for money. That's cocaine.