“On Purim I was pretty shocked when I heard that a father promised his kids cigarettes as a prize for doing a mitzvah. Totally backwards to me. “
It is assur, and backwards, and the father is, with all due respect, a total moron. To intentionally and as a reward give these carcinogens to his children? In his defense, certain sects/societies of our holy nation are, unfortunately, still backwards in this way and still consider smoking to be normal, and both young and old do smoke, R”L!
Back to the issue: absolutely do not marry him if he is a smoker or has been for any amount of time! If someone can swear that he’s been clean for, say, 6 months or a year, then MAYBE it’s worthy of consideration.
Smoking is a medical addiction and you will not be able to get him to stop. With tremendous Siyata Dishmaya, HE can stop, if he works at it. But quitting for a week doesn’t mean he’s won’t relapse.
Ask a doctor how long it takes to be very sure he will not relapse, and take it from there to a trustworthy Rav.
Remember that responsibilities usually increase as one gets older, and stress is only one thing that drives smokers back to this disgusting and devastating habit (which should never have started), Hashem Yishmor. Better to remain single and have one’s health than ch”V endanger one’s self in any way for any reason.