Abstract
Who smokes, and why do they do it? What factors discourage and otherwise reward or incentivize smoking? Tobacco use has been accompanied by controversy from the moment of its entry into European culture, and conflicting opinions regarding its potentially adverse influence on health have coexisted for hundreds of years. Its use in all forms represents the world’s single greatest cause of preventable disease and death. Tobacco was introduced to Europe by Christopher Columbus, who in October 1492 discovered the crop in Cuba. While the next four centuries would see tobacco as the most highly traded economic commodity, by 1900, the now familiar cigarette remained obscure and accounted for only 2% of total tobacco sales. Global tobacco consumption rose sharply after 1914 and became especially prevalent following World War II, particularly among men. Indeed, overall tobacco sales increased by more than 60% by the mid-20th century, and cigarettes were a critical driver of this growth. Cigarettes dominated the tobacco market by 1950, by then accounting for more than 80% of all tobacco purchases. In the absence of clinical and scientific evidence against tobacco, moral and religious arguments dominated opposition voices against tobacco consumption in the 1800s. However, by the mid-20th century, advancements in medical research supported enhanced government and voluntary actions against tobacco advertising and also raised awareness of the dangers associated with passive tobacco smoke exposure. Solid epidemiological work connecting tobacco use with “the shortening of life span” began to appear in the medical literature in the 1950s, linking smoking with lung cancer and related conditions. In subsequent years, these developments led to significant curtailment of tobacco use. This monograph explores aspects of the intersection of tobacco with themes of behavioral incentives, religion, culture, literature, economics, and government over the past five centuries.
Highlights
A century-old riddle sets a peculiar challenge: To three fourths of a cross add a circle complete; Let two semicircles a perpendicular meet; add a triangle that stands on two feet; two semicircles, and a circle complete
While the Chinese government is aware of the negative health effects of tobacco and has taken official steps to restrict cigarette advertisements, reduce teen smoking, and discourage smoking in public, the sale of tobacco products curiously remains untaxed in China.[8]
The most recent information regarding worldwide smoking shows that about 80% of smokers are men and many of them live in developing countries
Summary
A century-old riddle sets a peculiar challenge: To three fourths of a cross add a circle complete; Let two semicircles a perpendicular meet; add a triangle that stands on two feet; two semicircles, and a circle complete. In the United States, more than 16 million individuals live with a disease caused by tobacco use including cancer, heart disease, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.[3] The total annual economic impact of smoking in the United States in 2014 included about $170 billion in direct medical costs and about $156 billion in lost productivity.[4] In the early 20th century, governments did little to discourage smoking.
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