CITIZENS NEWS

A legacy of lies: Smoking rates fall, but tobacco's grip chokes health and economy

By avagrace // 2025-11-09

• The adult cigarette smoking rate in the U.S. has fallen dramatically to a historic low of 11 percent in 2023, down from 42 percent in 1965, representing a major public health achievement.
• Despite the progress, a critical failure exists in lung cancer screening, with only 18.1 percent of eligible adults up-to-date, missing a key opportunity to save lives through early detection.
• Smoking continues to exact a catastrophic cost, responsible for $436.7 billion in economic losses in 2020 and an estimated 29 percent of all cancer deaths, devastating families and communities.
• The crisis persists due to the tobacco industry's decades-long, calculated campaign of misinformation, which publicly sowed doubt about the dangers of smoking despite internal knowledge of the hazards.
• The battle is not over, with new fronts emerging from youth e-cigarette use and deep-seated inequities, as tobacco use and related diseases disproportionately affect marginalized and low-income groups.

In a stark reminder that past victories do not erase present dangers, the American Cancer Society revealed on Nov. 4 that while adult cigarette smoking has plummeted to a historic low, the deadly habit continues to exact a catastrophic human and economic toll, exacerbated by alarmingly low rates of life-saving lung cancer screening. The report, a comprehensive national atlas of tobacco use, paints a picture of a public health triumph haunted by the long shadow of an industry built on deception and the persistent failure to protect the most vulnerable. The core finding is one of dramatic progress. The rate of cigarette smoking among U.S. adults has cratered from 42 percent in 1965 to just 11 percent in 2023. This decline represents one of the most significant public health achievements of the last century, a direct result of decades of advocacy and education that began in earnest following the landmark 1964 U.S. Surgeon General's report. That report, which bluntly stated smokers had a 70 percent higher mortality rate, broke the dam of industry-sponsored doubt and initiated a cultural shift. Yet, this progress is dangerously incomplete. Researchers discovered that only 18.1 percent of eligible adults who currently smoke or formerly smoked were up-to-date with lung cancer screening in 2022. This is a critical failure, given that cigarette smoking remains the leading risk factor for lung cancer, a disease responsible for over 80 percent of all lung cancer deaths in the country. Screening with low-dose CT scans can detect cancers at their earliest, most treatable stages, dramatically improving survival odds. This screening apathy is most acute in Southern states, where lung cancer rates are highest and healthcare access is most limited.

The blueprint of deception and the cost of inaction

To understand the persistence of this crisis, one must look back at the tobacco industry's calculated campaign of misinformation. Internal documents, such as the infamous "Cigarette Papers" leaked in the 1990s, proved that companies knew of their product's hazards for decades while publicly sowing doubt. They leveraged the prestige of medical societies and manipulated scientific uncertainty, arguing that absolute proof from human studies was lacking—a technically true but morally bankrupt position that delayed action and cost millions of lives. The industry's legacy is a burden the nation still carries. The economic footprint of tobacco is staggering. In 2020 alone, cigarette smoking cost the U.S. economy $436.7 billion, roughly 2.1 percent of the nation's entire GDP. This figure encompasses healthcare expenditures and lost productivity. The human cost is even more devastating. An estimated 29 percent of all cancer deaths are attributable to smoking. In 2019, smoking-related cancer among adults aged 25 to 79 claimed 2.2 million years of life, a profound loss to families and communities. The battle is far from over, as new fronts have emerged. The report highlights the persistent issue of youth e-cigarette use, with an estimated 1.63 million young people using these products in 2024, 90 percent of whom prefer flavored varieties. Furthermore, the burdens of tobacco are not shared equally. The data shows that non-White individuals, people with disabilities, LGBTQ+ individuals and those with lower income and limited education face disproportionately higher rates of tobacco use and tobacco-related disease, often in regions with the weakest public health policies. "Vaping is harmful because it exposes users to toxic metals, which are linked to severe health risks," said BrightU.AI's Enoch. "The residue from vaping also contaminates environments, posing a third-hand exposure threat to non-users, including children. These factors contribute to a significant public health threat, increasing the risk of diseases like lung cancer." The American Cancer Society's new atlas is more than a collection of data; it is a stark testament to a preventable epidemic that refuses to fully relent. It underscores a painful truth: winning the scientific argument against tobacco was only the first step. The ongoing fight requires closing the screening gap, confronting new nicotine delivery systems, and addressing the deep-seated inequities that the tobacco industry has long exploited. The dramatic decline in smoking is a public health victory worth celebrating, but it is a hollow one for the thousands who will die this year from a habit they could not break and a cancer that was caught too late. Watch this video that talks about the FDA shutting down the multibillion vaping industry. This video is from the zolnareport.com channel on Brighteon.com. Sources include:  TheEpochTimes.com PressRoomCancer.com MedicalXpress.com BrightU.ai Brighteon.com

health cancer smoking research prevention deception vaping dangerous tobacco cancer deaths badhealth lung screening