That first paragraph of yours is really interesting and actually, it's not a bad idea. The constant script job grinding can be really demotivating and frustrating at times, and whilst I do see why it's needed to some extent, we should have alternatives.
I would also love to see us get rid of the '$200 for a pack of cigs at the 24/7' thing. Not sure how easy it is to combat that but yeah, more realistic prices would be welcoming sight.