That has always been 2 of my pet peeves for the state to regulate both for the revenue and abandon the ones who become adicted. We "allow" the tax to go higher on both by rationallizing it by saying "I don't drink or smoke enough to make a difference". The more money we give to government, the more they need to survive.They believe in the power of numbers. The higher the number of employees the less chance of the higher-ups being laid off. I know it is a very simplistic way to analyse it but you get the meaning. All governments are like fires, a small controled one can be very good and efficient to have, but too many times they grow out of control and continue to require more "fuel" .I should start a thread on my (our) pet peeves with the government.