[epmaybe]

This is correct. Do you know what percent of lung cancer is attributable to smoking? 90%! 9/10 lung cancer deaths are attributable to smoking.

Compare this to ~5% of cancer related death attributable to alcohol use.

It's just not even an accurate comparison.

To be honest though? I am willing to bet that cost to healthcare system for alcohol related illness is outpacing that of smoking related illness. Cirrhosis of the liver is a very costly disease when it gets close to end stage.

[zabzonk]

cost to healthcare is certainly high where some individuals are concerned, as any one who has been in accident & emergency on a saturday night will observe.

but of course the vast majority of people that drink on saturday night do NOT end up in A&E.

[johnaspden]

Comparing 90% to 5% would be very silly. What percentage of cancer-related deaths are attributable to tobacco use? (In the same sense of "attributable" as for the alcohol?)

[zabzonk]

https://www.cancerresearchuk.org/health-professional/cancer-...