From: http://repositories.cdlib.org/tc/surveys/NSC1/
"In 1964, the U.S. Surgeon General formally announced the health risks of tobacco, thereby providing the impetus for one of the most intensive public health interventions in the history of the United States. Spanning several decades, the tobacco control movement has developed an increasingly effective series of social programs and policies designed to encourage nonsmoking and protect nonsmokers from environmental tobacco smoke. In the years following the initiation of the tobacco control movement, the percentage of current cigarette smokers in the American adult population has decreased dramatically from 42.2 percent in 1965 to 22.7 percent in 1999. This decrease translates into about 40 million fewer adult smokers in the United States today than had the rate remained at 42.2 percent. As the Office of Smoking and Health of the CDC notes, “This achievement has few parallels in the history of public health. It was accomplished despite the addictive nature of tobacco and the powerful economic forces promoting its use.”"
Thank you for proving my point.