Smoking, it's harmful to you and your wallet.

It is generally common knowledge that smoking is very harmful to your health. But there are a vast number of facts that only a few experts know, which aren't frequently shared with the public. The University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, ranked among America's Best Hospital's 2008 US News & World Report Honor Roll, put together a series of facts that all people need to know about smoking and its negative effects.

• Cigarettes and cigarette smoke contain more than 4,000 harmful ingredients. Many of these cause cancer.
  

• Smoking and second-hand smoke cause over 430,000 preventable deaths each year.

• Smoking causes more than 230,000 deaths from heart and blood vessel disease each year in the United States.

• Cigarette smoking is a major cause of fire- related deaths.
  

• Cigarette smoke ruins many aspects of your life - your clothes, your furniture, even your family and social relationships.

• Each day, more than 5,000 children try smoking, and 3,000 become hooked.

• Asthma, bronchitis, and respiratory and ear infections increase in children of smokers. Your children don't deserve to deal with health issues because you are careless with your own health.

• Smoking-related diseases generate more than $50 billion a year in medical costs.

Packs of cigarettes cost anywhere from $4 to $7, which may not seem like a lot, but that money adds up. Frequent smokers who smoke a pack a day are paying anywhere from $28 to $49 a week on cigarettes. In a month that would mean that people would be paying anywhere from $112 to $196, and in one year, one would have spent anywhere from $1344 to $2352. And after 5 years, one would pay $6720 to $11760, just on cigarettes. Add this cost to the cost of medical bills caused by smoking and insurance costs since they are a health risk, in a period of five years, a pack a day smoker would end up paying nearly $26720 to $31760 just to enjoy their beloved cigarettes. So please, if you don't value your health, at least value your wallet.




http://patienteducation.upmc.com/Pdf/SmokingFacts.pdf
http://patienteducation.upmc.com/Pdf/SmokingYourHeart.pdf http://www.escapefromcubiclenation.com/photos/uncategorized/doctor.jpg
http://www.csmngt.com/smokers%20lung.jpg
http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://bp2.blogger.com/_cbnRzVflZuI/RrvC_G3NzaI/AAAAAAAAAT0/nU9zIqrFnJw/s320/smoking%2Bcartoon-2.jpg&imgrefurl=http://lifeinthehealthlane.blogspot.com/2007/08/why-is-smoking-health-issue.html&h=320&w=320&sz=32&hl=en&start=2&um=1&tbnid=D0DFOaOVhiXuyM:&tbnh=118&tbnw=118&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dsmoking%2Bhealth%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26safe%3Doff%26sa%3DG


Posted by: Ryan
Credible Communicators (Message #1)

Ssssssmokin' in Hollywood films

70 years ago, American's couldn't watch a Hollywood film without seeing their favorite actors smoke on screen. During the silent film era, directors would have their actors smoke on screen so that they would have something to do with their hands.

Back then, smoking was used in films as a sign of lavishness, and high society. Only the rich and extravagant would be seen smoking, and were also played by the biggest stars in Hollywood.


Nowadays however, the people who smoke in Hollywood movies usually have some underlying problem, or come from very low society communities. Those who smoke tend to be in bad physical health, which doesn't seem to bother them.



Above is a picture of Mae West, a very famous actress in Hollywood during the 1930's dressed very extravagantly, and smoking a cigarette as expected by high society. This appears to be a favorable image of a role model during that time, suggesting this behavior was imitated.


On the other hand, look at the picture below:


This is Helena Bonham Carter as Marla Singer in the movie Fight Club. As you can see, she is dressed very sleazy, appears to be in bad health, and seemingly doesn't care abut her appearence.


Take Will Smith for example. He's a big star in Hollywood today. Had he been a star back in the 1930's, he would be on screen smoking in every film he was in. However, I ran a search on google to find a picture of him smoking in a film, and found no results. In fact, there weren't any pictures of him smoking at all, in any context.




This suggests that the stars of Hollywood today are urged to not smoke, at least while they are in the public spotlight, so that their behavior will not be emulated. It's clear to see that smoking is now portrayed in a negative light and celebrities don't want to be associated with that. Therefore, if you want to be more like your favorite stars of today, don't smoke.



http://img5.allocine.fr/acmedia/medias/nmedia/18/64/88/83/18816592.jpg

http://i26.tinypic.com/2zo9nph.jpg

http://i261.photobucket.com/albums/ii50/lingeriecompany/maewest_cig.jpg

http://images.askmen.com/galleries/men/will-smith/pictures/will-smith-picture-1.jpg

http://www.tobaccofree.org/films.htm



Posted by: Ryan
Classical Conditioning (Message #2)

Subliminal Advertising and Smoking

Can you spot the subliminal message in this image?

How about this one?

Both of these images feature a picture of a skull inside the smoke coming out of the cigarette. This is clearly trying to associate smoking with death. When looking at the picture quickly, these images may not be noticeable consciously, but the unconscious may be able to pick up these images. Advertisers for anti-smoking campaigns could use images like these in hopes that the people viewing them will pick up the idea that smoking is dangerous and that they shouldn’t do it. Smoking is unhealthy!


Now watch this video and see another way subliminal messaging can work.

In this video phrases are flashed very quickly and are too subtle to be noticed. Although the viewer isn’t conscious of the messages they are seeing, it is believed that the unconscious can be influenced by them. This video uses sayings like “smoking causes cancers” and “smoking ages skin” in hopes that the unconscious will become aware of these phrases, which will hopefully allow the viewer to make the decision that smoking is bad. Smoking is bad for you.

Subliminal messaging is often used in tapes or CDs that a person can listen to in an attempt to help them quit smoking. The Brain Wave Subliminal is one example of this type of tape and promises to help you quit smoking, minimize withdrawal symptoms, and reduce cravings. The product description states that it “activates the unlimited power of your subconscious because it incorporates brain wave frequencies that induce states of hyper-receptivity to subliminal messages.” Some of the subliminal messages in the tape include “I am willing to change”, “With every breath I choose health”, and “It’s easy to let go, I love my body.” Although listening to this product won’t automatically make you stop smoking, the positive suggestions could affect the person’s mood and help put them in a mindset that would make quitting much easier. Don't Smoke!

Did you notice the subliminal messages hidden within this post? Hidden here are phrases such as “Don’t smoke” and “Smoking is bad for you” which are very small and light in color so they may be too subtle for someone to consciously notice them. It is possible that the mind will still pick up these messages and let the reader know that smoking is bad for them.

-Subliminal Advertising (Message #3)

Sources
Pictures: 1, 2, 3
Brain Wave

Author: Stephanie

The True Cost of Smoking

$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

Everyone knows that smoking is an expensive habit. When people consider the cost of smoking, they usually think in terms of the dollar amount associated with each pack of cigarettes. This is just a portion of the hidden fees associated with being a smoker. The cost of cigarettes by itself can add up to close to $1500 a year however, the reality is that the cost of the cigarettes is only a small portion of the overall monetary cost of smoking. Below is a list of additional hidden costs that are associated with being a smoker:

Life Insurance: Since smokers have a greater risk of dying at a younger age, their life insurance premiums are much higher than non- smokers.

Health Insurance: Smokers have a greater risk of medical problems and this risk is reflected in their medical insurance premium payments.

Home Owner's Insurance: Smokers have a greater risk of burning down their house than non smokers. This rgreater risk increases his/her insurance premium payments.

Car Insurance: Smokers have a greater risk of car accidents than non smokers so their insurance premiums are higher.

All things considered, these hidden costs can increase the actual amount a smoker pays each year to support his/her habit to approxiamtely $10,000. While your health should be the main reason to quit smoking, when you realize that you could spend $10K on vacations, shoping, etc. it could be the motivating force to kick the habit.

Classical Conditioning Message (#4)

http://www.costofsmoking.com/

Posted by Melissa Carnrick

Why You Should Quit

Why Quit?

Regardless of age and longevity of your habit, quitting will help you live longer. Ex-smokers enjoy a higher quality of life with less illnesses, better self-reported health, and reduced rates of bronchitis and pneumonia. For years, the US Surgeon General has reported the risks linked to smoking. In 1990, the Surgeon General concluded that quitting smoking has major and immediate health benefits for men and women of all ages. Former smokers live longer/healthier lives than people who smoke. Quitting smoking decreases the risk of lung cancer, other cancers, heart attack, stroke, and chronic lung disease. Damage to skin from prolonged smoking is reduced. Women who quit before a pregnancy reduce their risk of having a premature child to that of women who never smoked.

The information below was taken directly from the American Cancer Society's Guide to Quitting Smoking and is considered a reputable source among doctors and industry professionals alike.

• 20 minutes after quitting: Your heart rate and blood pressure drops.
  
• 12 hours after quitting: The carbon monoxide level in your blood drops to normal.
  
• 2 weeks to 3 months after quitting: Your circulation improves and your lung function increases.


• 1 to 9 months after quitting: Coughing and shortness of breath decrease; cilia (tiny hair-like structures that move mucus out of the lungs) regain normal function in the lungs, increasing the ability to handle mucus, clean the lungs, and reduce the risk of infection.
  
• 1 year after quitting: The excess risk of coronary heart disease is half that of a smoker's.
  
• 5 years after quitting: Your stroke risk is reduced to that of a nonsmoker 5 to 15 years after quitting.
  
• 10 years after quitting: The lung cancer death rate is about half that of a continuing smoker's. The risk of cancer of the mouth, throat, esophagus, bladder, cervix, and pancreas decrease.
  
• 15 years after quitting: The risk of coronary heart disease is that of a non-smoker's. The American Cancer Society is the formost

Credible Communicator Source (Message # 5)

http://www.cancer.org/docroot/PED/content/PED_10_13X_Guide_for_Quitting_Smoking.asp

Posted by Melissa Carnrick

Smoking Is Bad For You

• Smoking is bad for you because it causes 85% of cases of lung cancer in the United States.
• Smoking is bad for you because it causes 65% of cancers of the throat, mouth and esophagus.
• Smoking is bad for you because it can cause emphysema.
• Smoking is bad for you because it can cause bronchitis.
• Smoking is bad for you because it lowers HDL cholesterol (good cholesterol).
• Smoking is bad for you because it increases the risk of forming blood clots.
• Smoking is bad for you because it impairs the formation of new bones.
• Smoking is bad for you because it puts women at high risk for osteoporosis.
• Smoking is bad for you because it causes skin to look pale and unhealthy.
• Smoking is bad for you because it causes constant bad breath.
• Smoking is bad for you because it causes rapid heartbeat and shortness of breath.
• Smoking is bad for you because it causes slowed healing time for injuries.
• Smoking is bad for you because smokers are 2x as likely to have a heart attack compared to non-smokers
• Smoking is bad for you because smokers are 3x as likely to suffer a stroke compared to non-smokers
• Smoking is bad for you because it reduces a person's life expectancy.

...Did I mention smoking is bad for you?

- Repetition (Message #6)

Sources:
Pictures- 1, 2, 3, 4, 5
Websites- 1, 2

Author: Stephanie

Explanation of Each Message

Message #1 uses credible communication from the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center's facts to show how much more harmful cigarettes are than the public even realizes. These facts are intended to scare the smokers into quitting, since the everyday facts don't seem to have much of an effect on them.

Message #2 uses classical conditioning to show how imitating movie stars behaviors and habits can be a dangerous thing, but since films today show less glorified images of actors smoking, the attraction to imitate such behavior has decreased significantly. Big stars who don't smoke, and are happy without smoking, will give the message that people don't need to smoke to be successful and happy, so people wanting to emulate their favorite stars won't smoke.

Message #3 shows how subliminal messages could be used for anti-smoking. Putting subliminal messages in images, videos, and CDs can get someone to unconsciously pick up a message that will influence them. If subliminal messages were put in anti-smoking blogs or advertisements it may be effective because the person is already in the mindset that smoking is bad, so a subliminal message would help strengthen that idea.

Message #4 uses classical conditioning to nudge smokers towards the direction of quiting by associating smoking with high costs. By showing them how much they are spending on their habit and what other items they could be spending this on is a very persuasive case.

Message #5 uses credible communication sources such as the American Cancer Society and the US Surgeon General to promote a positive non-smoking message. By reading the facts outlines by the ACS, people will receive the hard facts necessary to make the right decision to quit.

Message #6 uses repetition by repeatedly pairing smoking with negative things. The phrase “smoking is bad for you” is itself repeated numerous times, associating smoking with being bad. In the first picture the repetition of this phrase is paired with the negative idea of having to write the same phrase over and over on a chalkboard, which is typically seen as a punishment. In the written section and in the last image, “smoking is bad for you” is repeatedly paired with negative health effects. Because it is constantly shown that smoking is paired with negative things, a person should feel strongly about that pairing and will not want to smoke because smoking has many negative effects.

Technological Fixes for smoking

A technological fix is a way to solve a problem using technology. A variety of different technological innovations have been created in hopes of helping people overcome their smoking problem.

Nicotine gum:

Nicotine gum is a type of chewing gum that delivers nicotine to the body. Each piece typically contains 2 or 4 mg of nicotine, roughly the nicotine content of 1 or 2 cigarettes, with the appropriate dosage depending on the smoking habits of the user. Popular brands include Nicoderm/Nicorette and Nicotinell. As nicotine is an addictive element in cigarettes, a potential for addiction to nicotine gum exists. Although studies performed by drug companies indicate that changing to nicotine gum leads people to quit both the gum and smoking, for many the use of the nicotine replacement gum becomes chronic as well. According to wikipedia, “Nicotine gum may also drive the user to "dip" tobacco because it replaces the activity of "lighting up" with a reinforced oral self-dosage, and when the nicotine gum user runs out of the gum, they may turn to hazardous forms of "dip" or chewing tobacco.”

Nicotine patches:

Nicotine patches come in three steps so that users can phase out nicotine use: 21, 14, and 7 mg. A cigarette delivers roughly 1 mg of nicotine, so someone who used to smoke a pack (20 cigarettes) per day or more could start with the "step I" 21 mg patch, while someone who smoked less could start with "step II". After several weeks (6 is recommended) at step I, new non-smokers move on to step II (usually two weeks) and step III (two weeks).

Patches are to be worn for 24 hours at a time. However, when worn when one is sleeping, the individual tends to suffer from nightmares.

Nicotine replacement products, including patches, account for about 7% of quitters quitting for at least 6 months or so.

Nicotine patches are also useful in treating schizophrenia.

Nicotine pills:

Though they are referred to as nicotine pills, they actually don’t contain any nicotine at all. ZYBAN is a very widely used non-nicotine pill. One of the selling points of this drug, as opposed to patches or gum, is that unlike the latter, ZYBAN does not put nicotine into the body. If you use the patches or gum, you should stop smoking so that you don't overdose on nicotine. With ZYBAN, you continue to smoke when you first start taking the medication, eventually reaching a quit-date, and taking the drug for a period of time after quitting. According the ZYBAN website, "The most common side effects experienced with ZYBAN include dry mouth and difficulty sleeping. There are other risks associated with the use of ZYBAN, so it is important to talk to your healthcare professional to see whether ZYBAN is right for you. There is a risk of seizure associated with ZYBAN, which is increased in certain patients."

However, CHANTRIX, a competing non-nicotine pill, has been proven to be much more effective than ZYBAN. 1,022 patients were enrolled in a study, in which they either received CHANTIX 1 mg twice a day, Zyban 150 mg twice a day, or sugar pills twice a day for 12 weeks. In addition to the pills, patients were also given a booklet on quitting smoking and also received brief counseling at each visit. During weeks 9 through 12, the smoking status of each patient was checked, and the information was compared among the 3 groups. Patients were considered to have quit if had not smoked a cigarette (not even a puff) or used other nicotine products for the final 4 weeks of treatment. The study found that 18% quit while using sugar pills, 30% quit while using ZYBAN, and an amazing 44% quit while using CHANTIX.
According to the CHANTRIX website, “CHANTIX is proven to be effective, but it's not a magic pill. For most people, smoking can be both a physical and a behavioral challenge. That’s why we also offer GETQUIT™, a support plan.”

“GETQUIT combines smoking cessation research with key learnings from the fields of psychology and behavioral therapy to create a day-by-day plan designed to help CHANTIX users kick the smoking habit.”

Sources:
Wikipedia: 1, 2
Chantix
QuitSmoking.com
Drugs.com

Changing Technology

Due to the fact that our country constantly tries to find new and better technologies, a variety of different technological innovations have contributed to the problem of smoking, in both positive and negative ways.

Film and Television:
Back in the days before television and film, people were only exposed to smoking if they saw someone doing it in person. Nowadays most homes have televisions, and this allows people to watch movies and television shows whenever they want. This has contributed to the problem of smoking because many characters in movies and television shows are shown smoking, which depicts the habit in a positive light. A study summarized on WebMD has concluded that watching movie stars smoke on screen makes young adults more likely to smoke cigarettes themselves. Researchers found young adults aged 18-25 who frequently watched movies with smoking stars were 77% more likely to have smoked recently and 86% more likely to become regular smokers than those who rarely watched movies with smoking. This means that people in modern times are much more likely to be put in a position where they would be exposed to smoking than people years ago were, which means that this technology could be seen as negatively contributing to the problem of smoking. On the other hand, the television has become a great way to get anti-smoking advertisements out there. These advertisements can be effective in keeping people from picking up the habit, so in that sense this technology has contributed positively to the problem.

Carrie Bradshaw from the HBO series Sex and the City is frequently seen smoking:
Changes in Cigarettes:
Cigarettes themselves have had various technological innovations throughout the years. Cigarette filters were created to reduce the amount of smoke, tar, and other fine particles inhaled when smoking a cigarette. They were first experimented with in 1925 in Hungary, but didn’t become widespread around the world until the 1960s. Cigarettes with filters were considered “safer” than unfiltered cigarettes, so eventually they came to dominate the cigarette market. Although these are considered better than unfiltered cigarettes, cigarettes in general are still very unhealthy and even if they have a filter a person can still suffer smoking’s dangerous effects. Another innovation in cigarettes was the creation of light cigarettes. The filter in light cigarettes contains a number of tiny holes which dilute the smoke with air. Because of this it contains less tar and nicotine. This should make the cigarette "safer" than full flavor ones, but if a person inhales more deeply or covers the holes it ends up having the same effects as regular cigarettes and has all of the same negative effects.

Menthol cigarettes are another innovation in cigarettes. This type of cigarette is flavored with the compound menthol, which has the ability to trigger cold-sensitive nerves in the skin without a drop in temperature actually occurring. When smoking these cigarettes people tend to take fewer and shallower inhalations, but there is very little difference in effects between these and regular cigarettes, and the mint flavor masks the smoke taste to a degree which may get more people to enjoy smoking. Among African American smokers it’s much harder to quit for smokers of menthol cigarettes. The previously mentioned cigarette innovations have all negatively contributed to the smoking problem. Although these things were intended to make smoking “healthier” or to seem better than other types of cigarettes, the effects are practically the same as they were before and because people think it’s safer to smoke with these things it could cause more people to start doing it.

Products to help quit smoking:
A very high number of smokers in the world would like to quit their habit, so over the years scientists have developed a series of products created to help people quit smoking. These products include things such as nicotine gum, nicotine patches, various prescription medications, and even laser treatment. Products that can help a person stop smoking have been a very positive contribution to the problem because they help a person stop smoking, which eliminates the problem. More advances in these types of products could help even more people stop smoking than they already have, and it’s possible that one day this problem could be greatly reduced. Looking at it from another angle, these products could also be seen as negatively contributing to the problem. People may start smoking thinking that they could easily quit later on if they wanted to because there’s so many products out there that could help them. This would cause more smokers, and if they get addicted enough they may not want to quit later in their life or the products may not be effective enough for them to be able to eliminate their problem.

Sources:
Web MD
Wikipedia: 1, 2

Author: Stephanie

Social Engineering

Social engineering is a concept referring to attempts by the government or private interest groups that try to influence popular attitudes and social behavior on a large scale. A variety of different social engineering approaches have been attempted over the years to try to reduce the problem of smoking.

Age Limit:
In the United States, each state and many local regions have laws regarding smoking. In most states the age that a person can possess, use, and purchase tobacco is 18. No retailer is allowed to sell tobacco to someone under 18, and if the customer appears to be under this age the retailer must see a photographic ID as proof of age. Additionally, the legal age to purchase tobacco has been raised to 19 in Alabama, Alaska, New Jersey, Utah, and Nassau, Suffolk, and Onondaga counties in New York.

Research constantly finds that most people pick up the habit in their teens and that if they don’t pick it up by their 20s most likely they never will. The government has these laws in hopes of keeping cigarettes from people as long as possible so that they will hopefully never pick up the habit. The problem is that even if the teens can’t purchase the cigarettes for themselves they can find people who can get cigarettes for them, so the age limit is not completely effective.

Smoking Bans:
Many states in America have passed smoking bans that restrict tobacco use in workplaces and public spaces. The United States Constitution doesn’t allow Congress to regulate tobacco use, so each state is responsible for making its own rules and regulations for this issue and many states have done just that. Connecticut has a statewide smoking ban that prohibits smoking in almost all indoor public places and workplaces, including bars and restaurants, but not including existing areas of private clubs, cigar bars, correctional facilities, and public housing projects. New York has a statewide smoking ban in all workplaces, bars, restaurants, bowling alleys, pools halls and company cars, except Indian casinos and cigar bars.

States have set up the smoking bans for a variety of reasons. Secondhand smoke has been found to be very dangerous and has effects such as increased risk of heart disease, cancer, emphysema, and other chronic and acute diseases. Keeping smoke out of public areas would limit exposure to secondhand smoke for non-smokers and public workers. Less smoke and cigarette butts will allow for cleaner public areas, improved air quality, and lowered risk of fire. Not only this but less smoke will provide an environment that will make it easier for smokers to give up their habit. Smokers are not too happy about the smoking bans, but others have been very excited with the results they have seen so far. After 18 months of a smoking ban in Pueblo, Colorado, hospital admissions for heart attacks dropped 27%, whereas they remained the same in neighboring areas that did not have smoking bans. Similar findings have been found in other areas with smoking bans, so it seems that this method has been very effective so far.

For more information about each state’s smoking bans visit the following link:
Smoking Bans by state

Anti-smoking Groups:
Hundreds of interest groups around the country focus their attention on preventing people from smoking. Some of these groups are comprised of physicians and researchers while some are made up of ordinary people, but all are together in the fight against the tobacco industry. These groups include The Foundation for a Smokefree America, the American Lung Association, and the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, among many others.

The largest and most effective anti-smoking campaign for youth is the American Legacy Foundation sponsored group theTruth.com, which focuses on keeping teens from smoking. This group uses both fear and humor-based messages to deliver facts and messages about tobacco and the marketing practices of the tobacco industry. The following is one of the campaign’s commercials that features a cowboy singing a song through a hole in his neck with the lyrics “You don’t always die from tobacco, sometimes you just lose a lung.” The purpose of this video, and others in the campaign, is to show teens the negative side effects of tobacco without specifically telling them not to smoke so that they will be able to make their own informed decision about whether to smoke or not.

Studies have shown that prior to the Truth campaign teens constantly overestimated the number of their peers who smoked, and this overestimation was linked to smoking uptake. When they were more exposed to the campaign they had a more accurate view of the numbers of smokers their age, which could be very beneficial in keeping them from smoking. Other studies have found that industry-sponsored anti-smoking advertisements (Seen Here) are not as effective and may actually have the opposite effect and increase the likelihood of smoking. In the Phillip Morris advertisement linked to above, the campaign portrays ideas consistent with teens' current expectations that less rebellious teens are less likely to smoke, so teens watching the ads are not really affected by them. On top of this the idea of telling them not to smoke makes many of them want to do it just to defy authority. Ad campaigns can be effective, but they need to be subtle in their approach and not try to force teens not to smoke or they will have an effect opposite to the one desired.



Sources:
Wikipedia: 1, 2, 3, 4
Study founded by American Legacy Foundation
American Journal of Public Health study

Author: Stephanie

The History of Smoking

The history of tobacco cultivation is thought to have started in Central America around 6000 BC. During this time, the tobacco plant was grown but the actual smoking and chewing of tobacco began about 5000 years later by the Mayan Civilization. They also mixed tobacco leaves with other herbs and plants to create a homeopathic remedy to treat open wounds. As the Mayans matriculated through North and South America, they took their tobacco leaves and plants with them. Tobacco was subsequently discovered hundreds of years later by Europe’s early explorers and was brought back to the new world.

Columbus was probably the first European to see tobacco leaves. Rodrigo de Jerez, another Spanish explorer, observed and documented Cuban natives smoking tobacco. Rodrigo tried smoking and decided to bring tobacco back to his countrymen. Upon his return to Spain, laden with tobacco, Jerez astonished his fellow countrymen by smoking in front of them. Never had they seen a man with smoke coming out of his mouth and nose. It was assumed that he was possessed by the devil and members of the Spanish Inquisition imprisoned him for several years. During his imprisonment, smoking became popular in Spain.

In the 1530's, Europeans began to understand the money making potential in tobacco. They began to colonize areas of the Caribbean and established large tobacco growing farms, from which they exported the tobacco to Europe. It is rumored that Sir Francis Drake was the first to bring tobacco to the UK in 1573. Sir Walter Raleigh later went on to make tobacco smoking popular in the court of Queen Elizabeth I. During the year 1586, Sir Walter Raleigh embarked on a trip to the Americas. Here he met Ralph Lane (Governor of Virginia) who introduced Raleigh to smoking from a clay pipe. A number of colonists who had previously left England to settle in Virginia, returned and introduced the fashion of smoking clay pipes into English society. Pipe smoking gradually became popular in several other European countries, including Spain and France.

At the beginning of the 17th Century, tobacco became a regular import into the United Kingdom. By the turn of the century, approximately 38 million pounds were being imported and competitive marketing of tobacco production began on a large scale. Snuff became popular in London during the 17th Century and later smoking cigars. It wasn't until the mid 1800's that the cigarette as we know it was manufactured.

With more advanced technology came the invention of the cigarette making machine which allowed 200 cigarettes a minute to be produced. As cigarettes were mass-produced, they became more easily available and affordable and smoking was now available to a wider range of people. Soldiers were the first group to become addicted to cigarettes as the military gave them out during long periods of inactivity to keep up their spirits and stave off boredom. At the start of the Second World War, President Roosevelt made tobacco a protected crop. There were shortages of tobacco in America and England, as cigarettes were being sent overseas to troops fighting in the war.

It was during this time that cigarette smoking became immensely popular. After the war, soldiers went home and introduced cigarettes to their families. At this point, medical research on smoking in its infancy. It wasn't until the 1950's that the link between smoking and lung cancer were reported. By this time, tobacco companies had become multi million dollar industries and couldn’t afford bad publicity. In 1964, the US Surgeon General reported that smoking cigarettes caused lung cancer. Afterwards, advertising for tobacco on television and radio was banned and tobacco companies were forced to print health warnings on the cigarette packs.

In 1973, the US placed the first restrictions on smoking in public places. All airlines were required to have separate smoking and non-smoking areas on planes. In 1987, all smoking was prohibited on flights. In 1988, the US Surgeon General announced that extensive research proved that nicotine was an addictive drug. By 1990, there were more restrictions placed on smoking and people were prohibited from smoking on any public transportation and in certain indoor spaces. In 1994, the tobacco bosses (a.k.a. Big Tobacco) swore under oath in Congress that nicotine wasn't addictive. They also said that they did not control the levels of nicotine found in cigarettes. Three years later, they reappeared before Congress to testify that nicotine was in fact addictive and that smoking could cause cancer.

Today, tobacco companies are being prosecuted by individuals wanting compensation for the death of loved ones which they claimed were caused by smoking. Claimants have been successful in winning their cases and an increasing number of tobacco companies were required to pay huge amounts of money in damages. Cigarette advertising has been banned in many countries and smoking restrictions exist in all indoor public places in several cities/countries around the world.

Resources

http://www.tobacco.org/History/Tobacco_History.html

http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/550049/smoking#tab=active~checked%2Citems~checked&title=smoking%20--%20Britannica%20Online%20Encyclopedia

http://www.bmj.com/cgi/content/full/330/7486/313