Tobacco & Its Dangers

History & Beyond

What is tobacco?
1. a preparation of the nicotine-rich leaves of an American plant, which are
cured by a process of drying and fermentation for smoking or chewing.

2. the plant of the nightshade family that yields tobacco, native to tropical
America. It is widely cultivated in warm regions, especially in the US and
China.
When you think about a smoker,
who comes to your mind?
Who do you think tobacco companies
would try to market to?
Tobacco Control
1950s: Smoking continues to climb, as the evidence for tobaccos negative health effects
builds. Rigorous studies link tobacco use to death and disease.

-State that cigarette ads that highlight health benefits are deceptive

1964: The landmark Surgeon General's report linking smoking and lung cancer is released by
Surgeon General Luther L. Terry. The report was developed by a committee of 10 experts
reviewing more than 7,000 scientific articles with the help of more than 150 consultants.

Dr. Terry later said the report, "hit the country like a bombshell. It was front page news and a
lead story on every radio and television station in the United States and many abroad." A
survey conducted in 1958 found that only 44 percent of Americans believed smoking caused
cancer, while 78 percent believed so by 1968.
1965: Congress passes the Federal Cigarette Labeling and Advertising Act
requiring the following Surgeon General's Warning on the side of cigarette packs:
"Caution: Cigarette Smoking May Be Hazardous to Your Health." Cigarette
packages begin carrying the warnings, whose wording will evolve over the next five
decades, on January 1, 1966.

1969: Congress passes the Public Health Cigarette Smoking Act, banning cigarette
advertising on television and radio and requiring a stronger health warning on
cigarette packages: "Warning: The Surgeon General Has Determined That
Cigarette Smoking Is Dangerous to Your Health." Ads will actually come off the air
in 1971.

1970: The first major actions are taken to curb death and disease from tobacco use:
TV and radio ads are banned, cigarettes get a strong warning label, and a handful
of states and communities restrict smoking in some public places.
So then what did tobacco companies try to do?
What changed?
 2000s
Reductions in smoking saved millions of lives, but
tobacco use remains the number one cause of
preventable death in the United States.
How it affects YOU
Breathe through the straw for 30 seconds.
How does it feel?
What can you compare it to?
What forms are available and are they
all equally as harmful?
Cigarettes, cigars, pipes, hookah, smokeless
tobacco (chewing tobacco and snuff).

All equally as harmful.