History Of Tobacco And Cigarette Smoking
Before we speak about cigarettes and their history, it’s important to set context about its content, which is tobacco, and how people have consumed tobacco over the years. The tobacco plant can be traced to Central America as far back as 6000 B.C. At that time it was a free-growing plant that was used by the indigenous people of the area. As it spread the natives began to discover uses for it in their rituals and religious ceremonies. It was often left behind as an offering to various spirits. Tobacco was also used for medicinal purposes and to settle disputes and create peace between tribes. Although tobacco can be traced back to 6000 B.C., it wasn't until the 1400s that it was officially “discovered” by people other than the Native Americans. When Christopher Columbus's travels landed him in Central America he was given numerous gifts by the people there, including dried tobacco leaves. He did not use them at the time; however, some of his crew took an interest upon seeing natives smoking it. These sailors took tobacco home to England where it eventually became popular. In the early 1600s, tobacco cultivation spread to different parts of America. The demand for tobacco was so high, that it became a type of money crop, and cigarettes eventually became a form of currency.
Late 1800s
Tobacco became one of the most wide-spread crops to be grown across North and Central America. Consequently, cigarettes began to be commercially made and sold, somewhere around the Civil War in 1865.
Production: The process of making cigarettes was slow. Due to lack of labour & increasing demand, a cigarette making machine was deployed in 1881 which could produce as many as 120,000 cigarettes daily. The process was simple, of filling tobacco in a cylinder like container preferably made of paper, and packing it at the bottom. The main purpose of cigarette production was to fulfill the need of portable means of smoking.
Representation: Tobacco was looked at as a ceremonial plant, that was distributed as a gift to guests. It was even used for religious and medicinal purposes by native americans. This was the time around which people discovered that tobacco could be smoked, and began filling it in small cylinders.
Identity: As people had recently discovered how the tobacco crop could be harvested, the stigma around tobacco had not been established, since people weren’t aware of the ill effects of cigarette smoking at the time. Tobacco was a mere crop, and smoking cigarettes was merely a pass time. Tobacco was a prosperous crop, and soon commercial use of cigarettes became key to economic growth.
Consumption: Although there were various ways of consuming tobacco, cigarettes since time immemorial have been consumed the same way. Lighting it at the top, and inhaling it from the bottom of the cylinder.
Early 20th Century
What began as a wartime necessity, soon became a rage. Cigarette smoking spread like wildfire, and people started smoking in their houses, on the streets, at work, everywhere. The anti-smoking sentiment began to take form somewhere in 1913. However the modern cigarette was still introduced to society.
Production: The first brand of cigarettes to have been commercially circulated was “Camel”, when the concept of filters at the butt of the cigarette was introduced, and widely accepted. This was also the time when J.B.Duke founded The American Tobacco Company, which was formed by merging 5 of the largest tobacco manufacturers. This was a turning point in the sale of cigarettes, and increased the number that was sold and the number of people who used them.
Representation: Before World War I, the marketing of cigarettes was primarily focussed on men, since they constituted the majority consumers. However, as time passed, the focus shifted on women as well. Cigarettes soon became the symbol for inclusivity. Not just between genders, but across socio-economic classes as well.
Identity: Smoking at the time was regarded as a class act. People who smoked identified as independent and sophisticated. It also added a glamour quotient to one’s personality.
Consumption: With the invention of filters, people even started using fancy pipes as an extension to the cigarette butt, which symbolised elitism.
It was around the late 1930s that the initial link between cancer and smoking began to surface. Major reports were released in the 1950s. Hence, more attention started being diverted towards the negative effects of cigarettes. A major change came in 1964, when the U.S. Surgeon General released a report, stating that smoking was a cause of lung cancer in men. However, aggressive marketing campaigns still resulted in an increase in the number of people who smoked in the 20th century. As time passed, in the late 20th century, the representation of cigarettes in movies and television made it something that cool people did. When the masses saw actors smoke, onscreen and off it, it made them want to smoke, regardless of the fact that it posed serious health hazards.
Around the 1970s, even the corporate world saw the smoking culture take over. Boardroom meetings were hidden under a layer of smoke, and cigarettes were what people met over to discuss matters pertaining to their businesses, or colleagues, bosses, so on and so forth. However, as tobacco companies faced the brunt of regulatory authorities, taxes increased, which consequently increased prices. People in many cities were restricted from smoking in public establishments. Tobacco companies were asked to print statutory warnings on cigarette packets, with graphic demonstrations of what smoking can do to a person’s body. Despite all of these efforts, tobacco continued to be one of the biggest industries around the world. However, the stigma around cigarette smoking had begun surfacing. People got conscious of smoking in public places.
Smoking in the 21st Century
We live in the information age. Everyone is privy to all the information that is available on the internet. Not just that, this generation has started making calculated decisions, weighing pros against cons, of whichver habit they wish to incorporate or get rid of. Cigarette smoking, which was once considered the hep thing to do, is now looked down upon. Non-smokers have become extremely conscious about being around smokers, because of the ill effects of second-hand smoking. A study revealed “Anti-tobacco information campaigns about the dangers of second-hand smoke in France and about smoking cessation in the Netherlands and Germany might have reduced the social acceptability of smoking in these countries. However, campaigns that influence the perceived disapproval of smoking by important people may be needed to ultimately increase attempts to quit smoking.”
Production: The biggest revolution around cigarette smoking since 2010, has been the advent of e-cigarettes. These offer a variety of flavours, and have no nicotine content. A lot of smokers in the recent times have adopted e-cigarettes as the healthier alternative to regular cigarettes.
Representation: With the kind of awareness that has been spreading not just in the smoker community, but in society in general, cigarettes are now projected as a reluctant recreation of sorts.
Identity: The negative connotations attached to smoking have increased multifold, as smokers are now made to feel guilty. They are reminded time and again of the deadly consequences of smoking. This, although has not had a significant impact on the way smokers identify with cigarettes. A lot of smokers have started justifying smoking as a stress reliever.
Consumption: Rationing of cigarettes, with a cap on the number of cigarettes smoked in a day. And e-cigarettes with refillable cartridges have also made the smoking experience expensive.
Cultural Code
From the material that I went through, and the interviews that I reviewed in the course of compiling this assignment, there was one sentiment common among people who consume cigarettes. Every smoker, no matter what his/her age is, understands how society views them. They are all aware of the grave consequences of cigarette smoking. But they still go ahead and do it. That’s because that one cigarette, gives them freedom. They’re the only one’s responsible for themselves, and that feeling of autonomy is liberating. So the cultural code that I have arrived for a cigarette is independence.
References
- Health Education Research , Volume 29, Issue 1, February 2014, Pages 72–82
- Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2018 Jul; 15(7): 1384. Published online 2018 Jul 2.
- Evolution Of Cigarettes & Tobacco, https://ecigarettereviewed.com , January 2017.
