For the first time in history, the majority of Americans support outlawing tobacco products, according to a government survey.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 57.3% of individuals support making the sale of all tobacco products illegal.
The majority of people who supported banning the goods, which included cigarettes, cigars, and vapes, were women and young adults (18 to 29 years old).
This is a significant increase in support, according to earlier studies. A Gallup poll from 2018 found that 25% of Americans thought smoking should be illegal.
Today, experts praised the public for being “ahead of politicians and even public health,” noting that there had been a “huge shift” from a few years before. It coincides with surveys that are candid. The most recent tobacco trend in America, the vaping issue, revealed that one in ten middle and high school students are vape addicts.
For the study, CDC researchers examined responses to a 2021 web poll of American adults.
It was carried out by the New York-based pollster Porter Novelli, who also conducted the SpringStyles study, and involved the random mail-in recruitment of 6,455 Americans.
The question questioned respondents if they “strongly,” “somewhat,” or “opposed” the prohibition.
Supporters were those who “strongly” or “somewhat” agreed with it, and opponents were those who “strongly” disagreed with it or “slightly” agreed with it.
The Food and Drug Administration defines vapes and cigarettes and cigars as tobacco products, hence these were included in the definition of tobacco products (FDA).
In order to provide an indication of support throughout the US population, data were adjusted for demographic parameters including age groupings.
According to the findings, both men and women were in favor of outlawing the sale of all tobacco products, albeit women were more likely to do so.
Although support for the ban was strongest among young individuals between the ages of 18 and 29, it was supported by the majority of people across all age categories. Although only 55.1% of those aged 45 to 59 said they would support the ban, it was the lowest among them.
Of those who smoke now, 25.2% said they would support the ban.
The final flavor of cigarettes available in the US, menthol cigarettes, were also asked about in the study.
The majority of people across all age ranges, ethnic groups, educational attainment groups, and income levels stated they would support the move, with 62.3 percent of respondents stating they did.
36.7 percent of those who already smoke menthol cigarettes backed the ban.
The CDC withheld information on the percentage of respondents who “strongly” or “somewhat” supported or opposed each policy.
Although there isn’t a survey that can be directly compared, other polls indicate that support for outlawing tobacco products has been rising for years.
Only 13% of Americans, according to a 1968 poll commissioned by the tobacco industry, thought cigarettes should be outlawed.
However, a Gallup survey conducted in 2018 revealed that 25% of respondents said smoking should be made banned.
‘This is a tremendous shift from only a few years ago, when it was rare to find anyone willing to talk about the end of tobacco,’ said Dr. Robert Proctor, a history professor at Stanford University who has pushed for eliminating the sale of tobacco products.
According to Dr. Ruth Malone, a researcher on the tobacco industry at the University of California, San Francisco, “the public is ahead of policymakers and even public health on this issue.”
“We must be more courageous and bold.
There is much trepidation in making such a big call.
The CDC researchers made no recommendations as to why there has been an increase in support for a tobacco sales ban in recent years.
However, individuals are becoming more conscious of the negative effects that smoking has on their health and are worried about the harm that vaping causes to their lungs.
Plans to outlaw the selling of menthol cigarettes in the US have been made public by the FDA.
At least 145 US towns and cities have outlawed the sale of menthol cigarettes and other flavored tobacco items by February 2022.
