Yeah, some folks were savvy to what was going on, but i think,the majority werent aware for a long while- and honestly, a lot of folks were deceived by advertising- some companies were even claiming that their brand was healthy.
Folks back then didn’t have the instant access to info like we have today- most folks worked hard and didn’t have time for TV or radio and such, so they would, have likely been unaware of the dangers, unless they were exposed to those who were stating that the ciggs were coffin nails.
Whe they did watch TV, they saw ads that showed a doctor smoking and recommending a certain brand as healthy. I remember ads such as “I’d walk a mile for a camel cigarette” 🐫 -
Those who were dying from smoking though sure knew that they were bad for people. It just took awhile to get the message to the masses.
Get real, everyone ALWAYS knew it was unhealthy, that’s why they called them COFFIN NAILS.