Cigarettes, by the numbers

Today, I will be talking about tobacco cigarettes.

More specifically, the anti-tobacco campaign that really picked up in the early 90s in the US.

If I were to be honest, I don't feel all that strongly about tobacco cigarettes; they've always just been fine to me, something that looked cool but had no lasting appeal.

However, I grew up in the States in the 90s and early 00's, and propaganda has always been our forte. I've been reflecting; how often was the message of 'cigarettes suck' broadcasted to us daily, as children? Is that why smoking rates today are so low compared to the past?

The history of the cigarette

I skimmed up on some history on the US and it's smoking policies.

I am by no means an expert in the plight of the tobacco cigarette, but by the 60's, it was becoming a public health crisis, and the Surgeon General dropped a big report in 1964; that seems to be a huge point that turned the tides.

Why did smoking rates fall so dramatically?

Some credit needs to go to the 'Civil Rights Movement' for nonsmokers.

It fought to ban things like smoking inside places, and made it a point to kind of shame tobacco cigarettes for their affect on the overall community. Kinda boss.

Of course, there's money too. There were a reasons why the movement got more money (higher taxes and lawsuits, basically), but the point is that it happened, and they eventually became loaded with dough. With more money comes more effectiveness.

Cigarettes, by the numbers

The IMHE (some big research institute) did a study about cigarette smokers in America, and how it's changed in the recent past.

It was a pretty comprehensive study; they called 4.2 million Americans and asked them a simple question: 'Have you smoked 100 cigarettes in your life?'

I won't reveal the surprise ending, but feel free to select on the slider and find out how the rates of smoking have changed.