How America Started to Quit Smoking 50 Years Ago

Smoking in the United States began its slow decline with the arrival of the Surgeon General's Report on Smoking and Health, published in January 1964 and every year since.

To celebrate the report's 50th anniversary Friday, the U.S. Surgeon General released a special guide to its history [PDF]. The most recent edition of the report goes father than ever in listing the dangers of smoking. Diseases caused in part by tobacco products now include liver and colorectal cancers, tuberculosis, rheumatoid arthritis and diabetes.

The medical establishment's crusade against cigarettes has significantly altered our culture. Though nearly one in five adults still smoke, that number has come down from nearly half of grown-up U.S. citizens since the first report was issued. These days, lighting up (tobacco, at least) is considered taboo, indoors and out, in many cities and campuses.

Below are some of the more significant moments in America's struggle against smoking.

The Number of American Smokers Dropped By Over 50%

In 1964, 42% of adults smoked. That number has dropped to 18% today, though the rate at which the percentage is declining has slowed. In the 1980s, the percentage of adult smokers fell from 33% to 26%, but it has only dropped 8% in the last 23 years.

We Led the World in Cigarette Warning Labels

The U.S. became the first country in the world to warn smokers about the dangers of what they were about to inhale in 1966 when the government required that warning labels be placed on packs of cigarettes.

Public Health Ads Fought Cigarette Ads

Ads for tobacco were all over TV and radio in the 1960s, but in 1967 the Fairness Doctrine mandated that public service messages about the dangers of smoking be broadcast to counter tobacco ads. The final cigarette ad aired on Johnny Carson's Tonight Show in 1971.

Secondhand Smoke was a Revelation

The Surgeon General's report first mentioned secondhand smoke as a danger in its 1972 edition, though a full report on its effects wouldn't arrive for 12 more years. Since 1964, 2.5 million nonsmokers have died because they spent too much time around people who liked to light up.

The First State to Restrict Smoking? Arizona

Arizona became the first state to curtail smoking in government buildings, health facilities and other public places in 1973 when the state passed its first indoor air law.

The Military Heeded the Surgeon General

The Army and Navy stopped rationing cigarettes to their soldiers in 1975. The U.S. military as a whole banned indoor smoking in 1994, though submarine crews were still allowed to smoke until 2010, when that loophole was closed.

Taxing the Opposition

California in 1988 passed the first tobacco tax that would use its proceeds to fund a state-run tobacco control program. In 1995, they would also become the first state to ban smoking in bars and restaurants.

Nicotine's Effects Finally Known

It took until 1988 for the Surgeon General to declare that nicotine, a substance found in every cigarette including the electronic kind, is addictive.

No More Smoking in the Sky

Congress banned smoking on domestic American flights in 1990.

Here Come the Feds

The Food and Drug Administration first tried to regulate the production and marketing of tobacco products in 1996, and three years later the Department of Justice filed a lawsuit against tobacco companies for lying to the American public about the health hazards of smoking. In 2006, the companies would be found guilty by a federal judge. In 2009, the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act would allow the FDA to control the production, marketing and sales of tobacco products.

Smoke-Free Laws Coming to a State Near You

By 2010, 25 states had enacted comprehensive smoke-free legislation, according to the Surgeon General's website. Many cities have even begun to control e-cigarettes in the same manner, even though they contain no smoke.

Despite the effort to eliminate smoking in the U.S., around 88 million Americans are still exposed to secondhand smoke on a daily basis, and smoking continues to be the country's top cause of premature and preventable death. The most recent report is aimed at preventing the habit from taking hold in future generations.

Image: Flickr, Fried Dough