Cigarette Smoking Drops To 15% Of American Adults, Now Anchored By Fraternity Men

WJ Cope9 years ago

The CDC came out with some interesting news today. Smoking rates in American adults have started to drop a bit quicker than in years past.

From CBS News:

The rate of smoking among adults in the U.S. fell to 15 percent last year thanks to the biggest one-year decline in more than 20 years, according to a new government report.

The rate fell 2 percentage points from 2014, when about 17 percent of adults in a large national survey said they had recently smoked.

The smoking rate has been falling for decades, but it usually drops only 1 point or less in a year.

Experts attribute recent declines decline to the mounting impact of anti-smoking advertising campaigns, cigarette taxes and smoking bans.

The increased marketing of electronic cigarettes and their growing popularity has also likely played a role. But it is not yet clear whether this will help further propel the decline in smoking, or contribute to an increase in smoking in years to come.

So e-cigs are cutting into the smoking rates. I’m pretty sure cigarette smoking would end altogether if someone invented a way to look cool smoking out of one of those giant metal monstrosities. Perhaps Elon Musk should put up a cash reward for something like that.

It looks like before long, late-night cigs on fraternity house porches are all that’s going to keep tobacco companies in business. I’m all for reducing cancer rates and being healthier in general, but it’s kind of strange to see such a large part of our culture slowly vanishing. We’ve come a long way since the days of Don Draper lighting one up in his office before closing a deal..

[via CBS News]

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