The numbers are pretty remarkable when you stop and think about it. Just 9% of American adults are currently smokers, according to new CDC data reported by the Associated Press. That’s down from a staggering 42% in the mid-1960s. We are looking at the lowest smoking rate in modern U.S. history, and honestly, it feels like something worth celebrating.
This didn’t happen by accident. Decades of cigarette taxes, smoke-free workplace laws, aggressive public health campaigns, and a fundamental shift in how society views lighting up all contributed to this sea change. The “Tips from Former Smokers” campaign alone, as quoted by Yolonda Richardson of the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids in AP reporting, helped more than a million people quit and saved over $7 billion in healthcare costs. That kind of return on investment is almost unheard of in public health.
But here’s where things get complicated. While traditional cigarette use has been plummeting, e-cigarette use among adults has been creeping upward, holding steady at around 7% in the latest numbers. Some might argue vaping is a harm reduction tool that helps people transition away from combustibles. Others worry it renormalizes nicotine addiction and hooks a new generation. That’s a debate that isn’t going away anytime soon.
There’s also a political wrinkle worth noting. Richardson pointed out in the AP reporting that the CDC’s Office on Smoking and Health and its signature anti-smoking advertising campaign were eliminated under the Trump administration. That’s a pretty big deal when you consider the evidence showing these programs worked. Cutting them now, even as we hit this milestone, feels like cutting the rope right before you reach the top of the mountain.
The fact that smoking remains the leading preventable cause of death in this country hasn’t changed. Neither has the fact that it costs us billions in healthcare spending annually. The decline is a monumental public health win, make no mistake, but the work isn’t finished. If anything, the ground we’ve gained could easily slip away if we’re not careful.
What happens next really depends on whether we treat this progress as a finished job or a foundation to build on.
