In 1964, the U.S. Surgeon General released a report that considered the connection between smoking and health.  The report was a culmination of work since 1961, when the President received a letter from the American Cancer Society, the American Public Health Association, the American Heart Association, and the National Tuberculosis Association.  The letter urged investigation into the tobacco problem, which eventually resulted in the establishment of an advisory committee to study the relationship between smoking and health.

According to the National Library of Medicine’s Profiles in Science, there was widespread debate about the benefits and risk of smoking in the first half of the twentieth century.  They argued that smoking brought about general malaise, physiological malfunction, and a decline in mental and physical efficiency.  Evidence of the ill effects of smoking accumulated during the 1930s, 1940s, and 1950s.  These studies suggested that smoking not air pollution, asbestos contamination, or radioactive materials, was the chief cause of the epidemic rise of lung cancer in the twentieth century.  When the Surgeon General’s report was issued, it was major news, making front pages and lead radio and television stories throughout the U.S.

Now, the Journal of the American Medical Association has an entire issue on the 50^th anniversary of this report.  The issue considers the status of the “War Against Tobacco” and how tobacco control has progressed and impacted Americans.  One article focuses on how tobacco control has impacted tobacco-related premature deaths in the U.S.  The study found that tobacco control was estimated to be associated with avoidance of 8 million premature deaths and an estimated extended mean life span of 19 to 20 years.  However, the authors note that this represents an important public health achievement, but efforts must continue to reduce the effect of smoking on the nation’s death toll.

The Boston Globe online analyzes this study, noting that prior to the 1964 report, more than 42 percent of U.S. adults smoked and, now, that number has dropped to about 18 percent.  Tobacco presents an interesting research topic because it is a unique source of morbidity and mortality, with a wide variety of detrimental impacts attributed to tobacco.

Additionally, the U.S. is still behind many other countries in its efforts to reduce tobacco use.  Specifically, the U.S. is behind in adopting measures proven to reduce tobacco use, including graphic health warning labels on cigarettes, high tobacco taxes and widespread bans on tobacco advertising.  Images of smoking in movies, television and on the Internet remain common.  These avenues may provide additional opportunities for tobacco control and public health improvement.