Where There's Smoke, There's [cough cough cough]

A mere 22 years ago today, the Surgeon General of the United States declared nicotine was as addictive as heroin. Since then, it has been discovered that tobacco companies have been deliberately increasing the amount of nicotine going into their product.

What would life be like if we lived in a narco-democracy? That's a society in which all voters are addicted to a substance provided to them by the government or a government backer, which is guaranteed to always win elections and have public support (or acquiescence) because no addicted person will vote against them. Good thought for a speculative Daria fanfic, maybe?

PPMB

• Daria's Escape, by Aloysius (COMPLETE!): The dark-haired man smiled at her and said, “We don’t have much time, Daria, but do you trust me?” She decided to be honest with him. “About as much as I trust any government official.” He shook his head slightly and looked at her for several seconds. “You’re going to have to trust me—fully—for the next several minutes if the two of us are going to get out of this alive.” (Daria/The Wild, Wild West)
• Daria: Tom Was There, by OverlordMikey (Part 1): Tom noticed a red-and-black flash from the corner of his eye and stopped the Pinto. Looking out his window, he saw Jane Lane on the sidewalk. He waved and she noticed him, then came over to the car window. "Hey, amigo," she said with a grin. She noticed Elsie in the other seat. Elsie was looking away from her. "And howdy, Elsie." Elsie turned and glared at her. "Still angry, huh?" asked Jane. "Hey, it was an accident. How was I supposed to know your mother would take me seriously, let alone actually try square-dancing." "I had to spend my weekend with mother... square dancing. As far as I am concerned—" Elsie turned her head away "—you're dead, Lane."
• Finn Morgendorffer 46: Shields Up,by HolyGrail2007 (Part 4): “I’m here to teach, not bring in funds. If I see Finn fail, he will fail.” “And if he doesn’t fail?” “That’s my decision.” Janet replied. “I appreciate the concern, Angela, but I’m sure that certain... events... from two years ago would agree with me. That fiasco with the damn Ultra-Cola was bad enough. I’m sure Superintendent Cartwright would love to know why you kept calling that soccer player to your office.” Janet smiled evilly.
• The Hallowed Halls of Fielding, by Roentgen (Part 28): The seniors, having stopped their swims, shouted out encouragement. "Come on, DeeDee!" DeeDee? thought Daria. DeeDee? Not this again! "You can do it, DeeDee! Just concentrate!"