[joeysteele]

Well as a non smoker I have no problem with people smoking if they wish to.
I don't like the way smokers are ostracised and I have seen some really silly things as to smoking bans, such as, in a bus shelter with open front and sides, having a sticker in saying smoking is not permitted in here.
However they can take 2 steps to the side of the shelter and then they can smoke there.Bonkers.

Also it is not illegal to smoke and buy cigarettes in the UK,I am not offended by people smoking at all.
There may be token success for a week or 2 or for the month of October but as Christmas starts to loom and the pressures of that start,I am pretty sure those who smoked before will again.

There are many things people do that are a bit of a burden on the NHS, not just smokers.
So I cannot go along with this demonising attitude as to smokers and the only thing I partly agree with is, if Govts were really serious as to stopping people smoking,they would have the prices rocket.
However I think that is also unfair on moderate smokers anyway.

For instance,alcohol causes many more propblems for the NHS, also as to abuse and sometimes violence.More should be done as to that, never mind smoking.

The cost of cigarettes are already rather high, also as was indicated in the OP, if everyone who did smoke stopped overnight, the treasury would near fall into panic and then everyone else would find other things rising bigtime to cover that shortfall.