Smoking In America Essay

When Christopher Columbus first came to the Americas, his crew members were introduced to smoking by the indigenous people who gave them the dried leaves as a present. “Tobacco [can] be chewed, drunk as tea, inhaled as powder (snuff), inserted as a liquid enema and consumed as jelly, but it was smoking, the burning of the herb to produce smoke, that quickly became part of a priestly healing ritual, both to diagnose and cure illness, as well as to drive out the evil spirits that had supposedly caused it…smoking was a cure, but it soon became a passion” (Gilman 9).
Once it was introduced to the Europeans, this passion turned into an addiction. “Smoking is [now] the leading cause of preventable death, associated with about 6 million deaths worldwide
each year, with many of these deaths occurring prematurely” (Du Plooy 1).
Due to this, The World Health Organization Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC) has been formed and is working diligently to protect the current and future generations from the detrimental health, social, environmental, and economic concerns caused by smoking tobacco. It is the belief of this organization, as well as millions of people worldwide that something needs to be done about the tobacco epidemic. Many cities and countries have been taking action against it, including the United States, but more dramatic changes need to occur in order to seriously put a stop to the consequences of smoking tobacco. The production of cigarettes should be illegalized in the United States because of the harmful effects of smoking.
General History and Statistics
The Mayans, the Aztecs, and other peoples in the western hemisphere smoked the plant Nicotiana Tabacum in one form or another as part of religious rituals well before it was cultivated in the Americas by the Europeans. After their arrival, “smoking, was understood to be a new idea, a new experience, and one chiefly reserved for those who could afford it, the elite. Such a luxury was soon made available to the rest of the population” (Gilman 10). In the early 20th century, there was a noticeable rise in uncommon diseases like lung cancer and coronary heart disease. Smoking was noted as a possible cause of this, as well as air pollution and the American diet. However, by mid-century, the causes of these diseases were found to definitely be linked to smoking tobacco. “Smoking was not widely considered as a cause of obstructive lung disease until the 1950’s” (Slovic 4).
Interestingly enough, before most of the world came to this conclusion, Adolf Hitler had different ideas about smoking; among other things. “Hitler viewed smoking as a threat to the vitality of the German people and his government carried out a vigorous anti-tobacco campaign” (Slovic 4). The United States caught on though, and by 1964 smoking was officially recognized as a cause for increased mortality.
The most current data shows that in 2015 there were 36.5 million smokers in the United States and that about 480,000 Americans die each year from tobacco-related diseases in the US.
These numbers have been on a decline since 2005 when 21 of every 100 adults (20.9%) smoked. The 2015 data showed about 15 of every 100 adults (15.1%) smoke. The actions taken by the U.S. government to decrease the number of adults from starting to smoke and to encourage current smokers to quit, have been helpful. However, these numbers are still very high. The U.S. is ranked third in the world for consuming the most cigarettes per person per year, behind Russia and
China.
Beginning June 2015, Beijing began its toughest smoking ban in public places, including all indoor public areas and workplaces, as well as on public transportation and even some outdoor areas. Beijing and 17 other Chinese cities have created local anti-smoking regulations with Beijing being the most limiting, making it the closest to meeting the requirements from the WHO FCTC. “Since the ban in Beijing, restaurants have only found 14.8% of diners smoking from the previous 40.3%, and the smoking population in public places dropped to 3.8% from 11.3%. Overall, 46.4% of smokers indicated their intention to quit smoking one year after the ban” (Gong 46).
Legislative History In the United States, smoking was officially recognized as a known cause of death for many diseases in 1964.
A year later, the first act regarding cigarettes was put into place. The Federal Labelling and Advertising Act required cigarette packages to have a health warning, and reports needed to be submitted to Congress annually on the advertising and labelling practices as well as health consequences of smoking. By the 1970’s a new act prohibited cigarette advertising on T.V. and radio. In 1988, the Federal Aviation Act gained an amendment that prohibited smoking on domestic flights 2 hours or less. Shortly afterwards, in 1992, laws were enacted prohibiting the sale and distribution of tobacco products to minors; these laws were finalized in 1996. The year 2000 brought about the banning of smoking on all flights between the United States and other
countries. In 2009, the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act was brought into effect. This act gives the FDA authority to regulate the manufacture, distribution and marketing of tobacco products as well as the ability to conduct inspections on tobacco retailers and give penalties for not meeting requirements. The FDA must also approve any new products a tobacco company may want to introduce. It requires blatant warning labels for cigarettes and smokeless tobacco products and it prohibits the sale of tobacco products featuring certain flavors such as grape, strawberry and orange. Some state and local laws have implemented smoke-free air laws, prohibiting smoking in public places. They may have increased tobacco taxes or enacted prohibitions against the sale of flavored tobacco products. Some states have even provided Medicaid to persons attempting to quit. The states are also required to provide programs to help prevent and reduce the use of tobacco. In 1999, the Department of Justice sued several major tobacco companies for fraudulent and unlawful conduct and reimbursement of tobacco-related medical expenses. They sued on the grounds that “tobacco companies engaged in decades-long conspiracies to mislead the public about the risks of smoking, mislead the public about the dangers of secondhand smoke; misrepresent the addictiveness of nicotine, manipulate the nicotine delivery of cigarettes, deceptively market cigarettes characterized as ‘low tar’ while knowing they were at least as hazardous as full flavored cigarettes, targets the youth market; and not produce safer cigarettes” (“Public Health Law Center”). In 2006, the judge chose to hold the tobacco companies liable for violating Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO) and for fraudulently covering up the health risks associated with smoking and for marketing their products to children. California has some of the most limiting anti-smoking laws in the U.S. It is against the law to smoke tobacco products in an enclosed workplace (lobbies, lounges, elevators, stairwells, restrooms) in which people are employed. Since people work in bars, restaurants and bowling allies, smoking there is prohibited as well. However, smoking is allowed in 65% of rooms in a hotel. Violation of the smoking laws will result in a $100 fine for the first offense. The second offense within a year is $200 and any other offenses within a year are each $500. In 2016, California increased the legal age to buy cigarettes to 21, joining Hawaii and 100 other cities. No more than 13% of adults’ smoke in the state of California and the rate of deaths by lung cancer in the state is one of the lowest in the country. Based off the data in California, the stricter the laws and restrictions are, the less likely it is for Americans to be smoking there. Since approximately 38.8 million people live in California, there are still approximately 5.1 million smokers living in the state. If the production of cigarettes is illegalized, 5 million people nationwide will no longer put themselves and others at risk for the health problems caused by smoking.