Smoking decline has 'hit a wall'

[Vocalek]

Survey suggests decline in smoking has 'hit a wall'


Created it as a digg so comments can be left. You might need a Washington Post login to view the story.

And on a related note...PROMISES, PROMISES: Obama tax pledge up in smoke
http://www.breitbart.com/article.php...show_article=1

And furthermore...Tobacco companies find way to sidestep the taxman
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/...ep-the-taxman/

[martha1014]

I just don't understand why anybody these days would start to smoke cigarettes. If I had known then what I know now I would never had started. Back in my day just about everybody tried it and some became addicted. With all of the negative publicity and knowing how dangerous they are I can't believe the number actually rose in 2008.

[Snarkyone]

Let's be realistic here. Back in the day when we all started smoking it was well known then that they weren't good for us, it didn't take an Einstein to understand that smoke in the lungs is not a good thing. The message about cigarettes has been around for decades now it is not like it is some new invention that we just discovered caused cancer.

The kids today are no smarter or dumber than we were, they are acting just as we acted and our parents before us. We ALL do things and experiment in life, that is how you learn how to LIVE. I don't put a lot of faith in poll numbers either, polls can be slanted to show whatever you want really.

[Vocalek]

My guess would be that the number did not actually rise. The total number has averaged 46 million with a few up and down blips since 1990. My guess would be that the downward blips (including 1990) correspond to the CDC receiving some message from the administration to make a program look as if it is working well.

Year Smokers
1990 43.8
1991 46.3
1992 46.5
1993 46.5
1994 46.8
1995 47
1996 47.5
1997 48
1998 47.2
1999 46.5
2000 46.5
2001 46.2
2002 45.8
2003 45.4
2004 44.5
2005 45.1
2006 45.3
2007 43.4
2008 46

[K.P.]

More likely is that the number of smokers tracks fluctuations in demographics.

For example (if I remember correctly), we know most property and minor violent crimes are committed by young men (late teens to mid 20's), and murders are mostly committed by men in their mid-20's to mid-30's. Fluctuations in crime rates often coincide with the number of males in those age groups at a given time. Violent crime in America really took off in the 60's--right when the oldest baby boomers were hitting late adolescence.

If there is an overwhelmingly typical age to take up smoking (teens) and also when most people who do quit actually quit (I'm guessing mid 20's when a lot of people settle down, stop going out drinking, and are having their first kid) then the number of smokers will track those fluctuations in the population.

[Kimber]

I just don't understand why anybody these days would start to smoke cigarettes. If I had known then what I know now I would never had started. Back in my day just about everybody tried it and some became addicted. With all of the negative publicity and knowing how dangerous they are I can't believe the number actually rose in 2008.

If it's anything like back in my rebel days as a teenager, part of the appeal was the fact that so many were against it and would force us all to quit if they could. Then again, I guess I still have that attitude. With all of the non smoking bans on properties these days, I just switched to something I could use.

[redrhino]

I just don't understand why anybody these days would start to smoke cigarettes. If I had known then what I know now I would never had started. Back in my day just about everybody tried it and some became addicted. With all of the negative publicity and knowing how dangerous they are I can't believe the number actually rose in 2008.

I agree... If i knew back then what i know now.........Well i guess i be a hell of a lot healthier LOL....

[ladyraj]

Let's face it...we smokers who jumped on the PV bandwagon are demonstrating the same behavior we exercised when we began smoking. It's a perceived less risk product but not a NO Risk one. Same choice, same behavior. We didn't get our PVs from the Doc's office. Just my opinion...

But I agree with VocaleK...the tobacco control groups have spent an alarming amount of money to get very little reward via the actual cessation numbers.

[rannox]

Well being somewhat younger than most on here (23), I can say its understandable.

Not saying your generations were any different, but i think it attains the the mentailty kids have.

Wanting to fit in, emo's, metal, and any "scene" basically influences smoking just by being a part of it, and any teen+ wants to be a part of something. And the "Open" mindsets seem to attain to it as well.

I personally started as a stress/depression reliever, haha...

Just my uneducated opinion...

[martha1014]

I know I started smoking 40 years ago and it was definitely different than it is today. Those were the days everybody could smoke anywhere, even in the doctors office. There were advertisement on T.V., radio, newspaper and magazines. There was not the stigma attached to cigarettes as it is today. So you can say it doesn't make a difference it certainly did to me.

There was the Marlboro man who we could identify with.