There is evidence that:
Reducing smoking rates reduces morbidity and mortality.  Lewis, et al. state “Full implementation of simple population measures to encourage smoking cessation could prevent substantial numbers of deaths in the UK” [1]

Source:
1. Lewis S, Arnott D, Godfrey C, Britton J. Public health measures to reduce smoking prevalence in the UK: how many lives could be saved? Tobacco Control 2005;14:251–254. doi: 10.1136/tc.2005.011064