They gamble and sometimes they lose - just like we all do. We have been collecting money from those consumers for years, a penalty for their risk-reward preferences. In California, the price of a pack of cigarettes includes 87 cents in state tax and another 34 cents in federal tax. Those who believe that the illnesses of smokers are not the responsibility of the smokers themselves and their insurers should look at this money as a source of funds to treat smokers. Unfortunately, the political process isn't driven by logic.
Emotion often rules.
The executives of tobacco companies are not an attractive lot. At best, they come off as guys who will do anything to push cigarettes. Perhaps they need to reposition themselves as purveyors of a consciousness enhancing indigenous herb. The point - unpopularity isn't a crime. Millions of American shareholders own the tobacco companies.