Smoking, primarily
of tobacco, is an activity that is practiced by some 1.1 billion
people, and up to 1/3 of the adult population. The image of
the smoker can vary considerably, but is very often associated,
especially in fiction, with individuality and aloofness. Even
so, smoking of both tobacco and cannabis can be a social
activity which serves as a reinforcement of social structures
and is part of the cultural rituals of many and diverse social
and ethnic groups. Many smokers begin smoking in social settings
and the offering and sharing of a cigarette is often an
important rite of initiation or simply a good excuse to start a
conversation with strangers in many settings; in bars, night
clubs, at work or on the street. Lighting a cigarette is often
seen as an effective way of avoiding the appearance of idleness
or mere loitering. For adolescents, it can function as a first
step out of childhood or as an act of rebellion against the
adult world. Other than recreational drug use, it can be used to
construct identity and a development of self-image by
associating it with personal experiences connected with smoking.
The rise of the modern anti-smoking movement in the late 19th
century did more than create awareness of the hazards of
smoking; it provoked reactions of smokers against what was, and
often still is, perceived as an assault on personal freedom and
has created an identity among smokers as rebels or outcasts,
apart from non-smokers:
There is a new Marlboro land, not of lonesome cowboys, but of
social-spirited urbanites, united against the perceived
strictures of public health.
The importance of tobacco to soldiers was early on recognized as
something that could not be ignored by commanders. By the 17th
century allowances of tobacco were a standard part of the naval
rations of many nations and by
World War I cigarette manufacturers and governments
collaborated in securing tobacco and cigarette allowances to
soldiers in the field. Until the mid-20th century, the majority
of the adult population in many Western nations were smokers and
the claims of anti-smoking activists were met with much
skepticism, if not outright contempt. Today the movement has
considerably more weight and evidence of its claims, but a
considerable proportion of the population remains steadfast
smokers.
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History
1. The tobacco revolution
2. Europe
3. The Middle East
4. East Asia
5. South Asia
6. Sub-Saharan Africa
7. Opium smoking
8. The social stigma
Physiology
1. Smoking substances
Smoking
tools and paraphernalia
Social effects
1. Public health and
crime
Smoking in culture
1. Art
2. Film
3. Literature
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