What is the Public Health Smoking Cigarette Act?
The Public Health Smoking Cigarette Act is a federal law that was enacted in the United States in 1970. It was
geared to restrict the habit of cigarette smoking. This Act also included warnings on every pack from the
Surgeon General. It was actually 1971 before the ban on advertising cigarettes on television and radio came
into being. As late as 1981, the Federal Trade Commission realized that the warnings on cigarette packs had
little impact on the public’s smoking habits. They then came out with stronger, more explicit warnings on the
cigarette packs.
States, especially New York, California, and Texas, had a hard time of restricting their advertising gimmicks and used tobacco company sponsorships for sporting events. The World Health Organization has even got on the bandwagon to discourage other countries from advertising the use of cigarettes and other forms of tobacco. Then the rise in taxes on cigarettes hit the American public. Now in the United States, a pack of cigarettes comes with a tax of around 1.45 per pack.
Being a smoker, I know that this habit is very bad for me. I know the money I would save and I desperately
need to do that as well. I have tried at least 4 different methods that are available to help the consumer quit smoking. So far the addiction still has me in its clutches. I don’t plan on giving up till I am successful, but it is a hard road to embark on. Some of my friends have quit and some haven’t. There are only 5 people left in our church that still smoke. The stigma that now goes along with smoking in my area is huge. People frown on smokers with disgust written all over their faces. After all a smoker’s clothing, homes, and cars reek of stale tobacco smoke. So wish me well and say a prayer for me as I continue my quest to find a method to rid me of the horrible habit.