from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Chronology Significant Developments Related to Smoking and Health 1964-1996

    1964

  • "Smoking and Health: Report of the Advisory Committee to the Surgeon General, the first major U.S. report on smoking and health, is published. Concludes that cigarette smoking is a cause of lung cancer in men and a suspected cause in women. Identifies many other causal relationships and smoking-disease associations. Calls for "appropriate remedial action."
  • National Interagency Council on Smoking and Health, the first national antismoking coalition, is formed.
  • Cigarette manufacturers establish voluntary Cigarette Advertising Code for television and radio.
  • American Medical Association (AMA) officially calls smoking "a serious health hazard."
  • State Mutual Life Assurance Company becomes the first company to offer life insurance to nonsmokers at discounted rates.

    1965

  • Congress passes the Federal Cigarette Labeling and Advertising Act, requiring health warning on all cigarette packages: "Caution: Cigarette Smoking May be Hazardous to Your Health."
  • Public Health Services (PHS) establishes the National Clearinghouse for Smoking and Health.

    1966

  • Health warning label appears on all cigarette packages.

    1967

  • Report of the Surgeon General concludes smoking is the principal cause of lung cancer.
  • Federal Communications Commission (FCC) rules that the Fairness Doctrine applies to cigarette advertising. Stations broadcasting cigarette commercials must donate air time to smoking prevention messages.
  • Federal Trade Commission (FTC) releases the first report on tar and nicotine yield in cigarette brands.

    1968

  • Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) is formed to serve as a legal action arm for the smoking prevention community.

    1969

  • National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) endorses phasing out of cigarette ads on television and radio.

    1970

  • Congress enacts the Public Health Cigarette Smoking Act of 1969 (passed in 1970), banning cigarette advertising on television and radio and requiring a stronger health warning on cigarette packages: "Warning: The Surgeon General Has Determined that Cigarette Smoking is Dangerous to Your Health."
  • World Health Organization (WHO) takes a public position against cigarette smoking.

    1971

  • Surgeon General proposes a government ban on smoking in public places.
  • Cigarette advertising ends on radio and television. Airing of smoking prevention messages required by the Fairness Doctrine also ends.
  • Cigarette manufacturers' voluntary agreement to list tar and nicotine yield in all advertising becomes effective.

    1972

  • First Report of the Surgeon General to identify involuntary (secondhand) smoking as a health risk.
  • Under a consent order with the FTC, six major cigarette companies agree to include a "clear and conspicuous" health warning in all cigarette advertisements.

    1973

  • Congress enacts Little Cigar Act of 1973, banning little cigar ads from television and radio.
  • Civil Aeronautics Board requires no-smoking sections on all commercial airline flights.
  • Arizona becomes the first state to restrict smoking in a number of public places and the first to do so explicitly because environmental tobacco (secondhand) smoke (ETS) exposure is a public hazard.

    1975

  • Cigarettes are discontinued in K-rations and C-rations to soldiers and sailors.
  • Minnesota enacts the first comprehensive clean indoor air act, which restricts smoking in most buildings open to the public.

    1977

  • American Cancer Society (ACS) sponsors the first national "Great American Smokeout."
  • Doctors Ought to Care (DOC) is formed to provide a focal point for physicians' smoking prevention advocacy, especially through counteradvertising.

    1978

  • CDC's National Clearinghouse for Smoking and Health is renamed the Office on Smoking and Health (OSH).
  • Utah enacts the first state law banning tobacco advertisements on any billboard, streetcar sign, streetcar, or bus.

    1979

  • Minneapolis and St. Paul become the first cities to ban the distribution of free cigarette samples.

    1980

  • Report of the Surgeon General highlights health consequences of smoking to women.
  • PHS announces Health Objectives for the Nation, which include a goal to reduce smoking to below 25 percent among adults by 1990.
  • The FTC begins testing cigarettes for carbon monoxide yields.

    1981

  • Report of the Surgeon General focuses on "The Changing Cigarette." Concludes no cigarette or level of consumption is safe.

    1982

  • Report of the Surgeon General focuses exclusively on smoking and cancer.
  • Congress temporarily doubles the federal excise tax on cigarettes to 16 cents per pack, to be in effect January 1, 1983, to October 1, 1985. First increase since 1951.
  • ACS, American Lung Association (ALA), and American Heart Association (AHA) form a tripartite Coalition on Smoking OR Health, primarily to coordinate federal legislative activities related to smoking prevention.
  • National Cancer Institute (NCI) reorganizes its smoking research program, as the Smoking, Tobacco and Cancer Program, to focus on smoking behavior research and interventions.

    1983

  • Report of the Surgeon General focuses exclusively on smoking and cardiovascular disease.
  • San Francisco passes law to include smoking restrictions in private workplaces.

    1984

  • Report of the Surgeon General focuses exclusively on smoking and chronic obstructive lung disease.
  • Congress enacts the Comprehensive Smoking Education Act, requiring that health warnings on cigarette packages and advertisements are rotated.
  • Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approves nicotine polacrilex gum as a "new drug."
  • Surgeon General announces the goal of a smokefree society by the Year 2000.

    1985

  • Report of the Surgeon General covers smoking and occupational exposures.
  • Minnesota enacts the first state legislation to earmark a portion of the state cigarette excise tax to support smoking prevention program.
  • STAT (Stop Teenage Addiction to Tobacco) is formed to focus on teenage tobacco use.

    1986

  • Report of the Surgeon General focuses exclusively on the health consequences of involuntary (secondhand) smoking.
  • Special Report of the Surgeon General documents the health consequences of using smokeless (spit) tobacco.
  • The National Academy of Sciences releases a report on the health consequences of environmental tobacco smoke.
  • Congress enacts the Comprehensive Smokeless Tobacco Health Education Act of 1986. Requires rotation of three health warnings on smokeless (spit) tobacco packages and advertisements and bans smokeless tobacco advertising on broadcast media.
  • Congress extends permanently the 16 cents per pack federal excise tax on cigarettes.
  • Californians for Nonsmokers' Rights becomes national Americans for Nonsmokers' Rights (ANR). Originally formed as California GASP (Group Against Smoking Pollution) in 1976.
  • Minnesota enacts the first state law to ban free distribution of smokeless (spit) tobacco samples.
  • Congress imposes a federal excise tax on smokeless (spit) tobacco products.

    1987

  • Federal Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) establishes a smoke-free environment in its facilities, affecting 120,000 HHS employees nationwide.
  • Minnesota Sports Commission votes to ban tobacco advertising in the Metrodome Sports Stadium effective 1992, the first such action in the United States.

    1988

  • Report of the Surgeon General concentrates exclusively on nicotine addiction.
  • Congressionally mandated smoking ban takes effect on domestic airline flights scheduled for 2 hours or less. Northwest Airlines voluntarily bans smoking on all flights in North America.
  • ALA sponsors the first annual "Nondependance Day."
  • California voters pass referendum raising state cigarette excise tax by 25 cents per pack, the largest cigarette excise tax increase in U.S. history 20% of revenues earmarked for tobacco control.

    1989

  • Report of the Surgeon General marks the 25th anniversary of the first Smoking and Health report; focuses on progress since the first report.

    1990

  • Report of the Surgeon General focuses on the health benefits of smoking cessation.
  • Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issues draft risk assessment on environmental tobacco (secondhand) smoke.
  • HHS's Office of the Inspector General (OIG), issues report concluding that minors access to tobacco laws are ignored. HHS proposes minors access to tobacco model law for states.
  • Airline smoking ban goes into effect, banning smoking on all scheduled domestic flights 6 hours or less.
  • Secretary of HHS denounces "Uptown" cigarettes, a brand to be targeted to blacks -- manufacturer cancels plans to market.

    1991

  • CDC's National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), issues bulletin recommending that secondhand smoke be reduced to the lowest feasible concentration in the workplace.
  • NCI and the ACS join together in the American Stop Smoking Intervention Study (ASSIST), funding 17 states over 7 years at a cost of million.
  • Federal cigarette excise tax increases to 20 cents.
  • Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approves a nicotine patch as a prescription drug.

    1992

  • First Federal legislation enacted to require states to adopt and enforce restrictions on tobacco sales to minors. Penalties to be imposed on state substance abuse funding without proper enforcement.
  • HHS's Office of the Inspector General issues report documenting the widespread use of smokeless (spit) tobacco, particularly among young athletes.
  • Transdermal nicotine patch introduced.
  • Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations requires hospitals to be smokefree as of January 1994 to maintain accreditation.
  • FTC takes first enforcement action under the Smokeless Tobacco Act, alleging that Pinkerton Tobacco Company's Red Man brand name appeared illegally during a televised event.
  • World Bank establishes a formal policy on tobacco, including discontinuing loans or investments for tobacco agriculture in developing countries.

    1993

  • EPA releases final risk assessment of ETS (secondhand smoke), classifies ETS as a "Group A" carcinogen.
  • Representatives of the tobacco industry file suit against the EPA relating to the findings of its ETS risk assessment.
  • OSH provides tobacco use prevention funding to 32 states and the District of Columbia not otherwise funded.
  • FDA prohibits over-the-counter smoking-deterrent products because they have not been shown to be effective.
  • U.S. Postal Service eliminates smoking in all facilities.
  • Federal cigarette excise tax increases to 24 cents.
  • Congress enacts smokefree policy for WIC (Women, Infant, and Children) clinics.
  • The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative and HHS meet to discuss tobacco trade issues, creating the Task Force on Tobacco Exports to review the government's activities involving tobacco trade.
  • Congress enacts legislation requiring all American cigarettes to contain at least 75% American-grown tobacco and requiring a tariff on imported tobacco to help finance the federal tobacco crop subsidy program.
  • Working group of 16 state attorneys general releases recommendations for establishing smokefree policies in fastfood restaurants.

    1994

  • Report of the Surgeon General focuses on tobacco use among youth.
  • Congress enacts the Pro-Children Act of 1994, requiring all federally funded children's services to become smokefree.
  • Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) announces proposed regulation to prohibit smoking in the workplace, except in separately ventilated smoking rooms.
  • The six major domestic cigarette manufacturers testify before the U.S. House Subcommittee on Health and the Environment that nicotine is not addicting and that they do not manipulate nicotine in cigarettes.
  • FDA Commissioner Kessler testifies that cigarettes may qualify as drug delivery systems, bringing them within the jurisdiction of the FDA.
  • Mississippi becomes the first state to sue the tobacco industry to recover Medicaid costs for tobacco-related illnesses.
  • Department of Defense (DOD) bans smoking in all DOD workplaces.
  • Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the American Medical Association launch the "SmokeLess States" grant program to fund local initiatives for tobacco use prevention.

    1995

  • FDA Commissioner Kessler declares tobacco use a "pediatric disease."
  • For the first time in American history, the President of the United States proposes a comprehensive and coordinated set of measures to significantly reduce the number of children and adolescents who become addicted to nicotine in cigarettes and smokeless tobacco. FDA develops the proposal and oversees the comment process on the proposal.
  • The Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) publishes articles on documents from the Brown and Williamson Tobacco Corporation indicating that the industry knew early on about the harmful effects of tobacco use and the addictive nature of nicotine.
  • The American Academy of Pediatrics stages a nationwide, school-based event targeting youth, discussing the dangers of using tobacco.
  • Philip Morris recalls its cigarette brands due to the presence of contaminants. CDC investigates reports of possible health effects.
  • The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) participates in trade negotiations with the Korean government regarding Korea's tax structure and the regulation of tobacco advertising and labeling.
  • The Department of Justice reaches a settlement with Philip Morris to remove tobacco advertisements from the line of sight of TV cameras in sports stadiums to ensure compliance with the federal ban of tobacco ads on TV.
  • FTC reports that cigarette industry spent billion on advertising and promotions in 1993.

    1996

  • WHO issues "Guidelines for Controlling and Monitoring the Tobacco Epidemic" to assist countries in developing a national action plan, enacting the plan, and collaborating with government, organizations, and businesses.
  • Liggett Group, the smallest of the nation's five major tobacco companies, offers to settle the Castano class action, the biggest and most visible tobacco liability case, taking financial responsibility for tobacco-related diseases and death for the first time.
  • FDA reopens the comment period on its proposal to incorporate sworn affidavits from former tobacco industry employees as well as other additional documents.
  • The National Center for Tobacco-Free Kids is established to focus the nation's attention and energies on reducing tobacco use among youth, with funding from Robert Wood Johnson and the American Cancer Society, among others.
  • The Department of Transportation reports that about 80 percent of nonstop scheduled U.S. airline flights between the United States and foreign points will be smokefree by June 1, 1996.
  • The U.S.-Mexico Binational Commission meets to coordinate activities and exchange ideas for four priority areas on health, including tobacco use prevention.
  • The first annual "Kick Butts Day" is conducted in a dozen cities in the United States to foster youth working with youth to discourage tobacco use among youth.
  • FDA approved nicotine gum and two nicotine patches for over-the-counter sale.
  • The Agency for Health Care Policy and Research releases its "Smoking Cessation Clinical Practice Guidelines" for clinicians. This is the first time that the total body of information on smoking cessation has been analyzed systematically, assisting clinicians in tailoring treatment to the particular need of patients.
  • The American Medical Association calls for divestment of all tobacco stocks and mutual funds.
  • Philip Morris and U.S. Tobacco Company offer a proposal for federal legislation to ban vending machines, partial-pack sales, free-samples to kids, and transit advertisements, among other things, in an effort to prohibit FDA regulation of tobacco.
  • On August 23, 1996, President Clinton announces the nation's first comprehensive program to prevent children and adolescents from smoking cigarettes or using smokeless tobacco and beginning a lifetime of nicotine addiction. With the August 1996 publication of a final rule on tobacco in the Federal Register, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) will regulate the sale and distribution of cigarettes and smokeless tobacco to children and adolescents. The provisions of the FDA rule are aimed at reducing youth access to tobacco products and the appeal of tobacco advertising to young people. Additionally, the FDA will propose to require the major tobacco companies to educate young people about the real health dangers associated with tobacco use through a multimedia campaign.
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This list was compiled by the Office on Smoking and Health, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 8/96.