LEARNING history of tobacco

THE ANTI-TOBACCO MOVEMENT


In the 1930's speculation grew about the effects of tobacco on the body. In Germany, researchers made a statistical correlation between cancer and smoking. In 1944, the American Cancer Society (ACS) began to warn about the possible ill effects of smoking, although the society admitted there was no definite link between smoking and cancer. Public alarm occurred with the 1952 Reader's Digest article "Cancer by the Carton" and the following year there was a noticeable decrease in sales. Big Tobacco formed the Tobacco Industry Research Council (TIRC) to counter health concerns. Tobacco responded with filtered cigarettes and a low tar formulation that promised healthier smoking. A cigarette-testing lab was established in cooperative effort with the U.S. government, and measurement of tar and nicotine content of cigarettes began on a regular basis.

In 1964, the Surgeon General Association generated a 387-page report stating cigarette smoking is casually related to lung cancer in men and that smokers are 9-10 times more likely to get lung cancer than nonsmokers. Reports showed specific carcinogens in cigarette smoke includes cadmium, DDT and arsenic.

The Federal Cigarette Labeling and Advertising Act was passed by Congress in 1965. Due to this ruling, the Surgeon General's warning label became mandatory on cigarette packaging presented to the consumer. The label warned against the possible illnesses of tobacco, the harm to pregnant women and their unborn, the serious risk to health and the fact that cigarette smoke contains carbon monoxide.

The discovery of the harmful effects of smoking led to a succession of lawsuits filed against the tobacco industry and spawned the creation of anti-tobacco groups such as Action on Smoking and Health (ASH), a nonprofit legal action and educational organization fighting for the rights of nonsmokers.

In 1971, all broadcast advertising was banned. In 1990, smoking was banned on all interstate buses and all domestic airline flights lasting six hours or less. Dangers of secondhand smoke that releases carcinogens and toxins into the air started to become a public health concern and health care policies began to reflect higher premiums for smokers versus nonsmokers. 

The ACS, created in 1904 and the American Lung Association (ALA) began to combat youth marketing tactics. The ALA took on the challenge to eliminate tobacco use among youth by sponsorship of the Smoke-Free Class of 2000, a nationwide program focusing on prevention of use of tobacco product use by youngsters. As part of the Smoke-Free Class of 2000, the ALA developed Teens Against Tobacco Use (TATU), a peer-teaching tobacco control program aimed at deterring youngsters from taking up smoking.

Legislative action against the tobacco industry reached an all-time high as public attention was brought towards the ill effects of smoking. In 1994, Mississippi filed the first of 22 state lawsuits seeking to recoup millions of dollars from tobacco companies for smokers' Medicaid bills. In 1994, two men, Jeffrey Wigand and Merrell Williams, both employees of Big Tobacco decided to transform the history of tobacco forever. Crucial evidence uncovered held the tobacco industry accountable for manipulating nicotine percentages and the increase of smoking-related illness provided the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) the necessary information to regulate tobacco. After many years of intense national debate, the major issues regarding cigarette marketing and underage smoking were comprehensively addressed through a Master Settlement Agreement (MSA) signed Nov. 23, 1998, by the major U.S. tobacco companies, 46 states and a number of U.S. territories. The provisions of that settlement were similar to those in individual settlements previously reached with the other four states (Florida, Minnesota, Mississippi and Texas). In essence, the tobacco industry agreed to dole out $206 billion in the settlement and the four other states settled separately for an additional $40 billion.