This year is the 50th anniversary of the anti-smoking advertising campaign. My oldest daughter was born in that period and now she had children old enough to produce grandchildren. Three generations have been exposed to the 'smoking will kill you' advertising.
Initially the percent of smokers in the U.S. dropped precipitously to about 20%. The drop was most significant among blacks and women. By 1975 the percentage of smokers stopped declining and has remained the same for 40 years.
Still the anti-smokers have poured billions into the advertising business with no effect. Three new generations have ignored the advertising. Anti-smoking prudes are not a group of people who learn. There is also a group of media owners who want government dollars.
What is interesting is that tobacco is coming back. Hipsters are smoking pipes. Despite the anti-cigarette prudes putting advertising money and legal campaigns into attacking the vaping of nicotine, young people, and even me, are finding that vaping a 24% mixture of nicotine has more impact that a burning cigarette. It delivers a gentle ‘high’ with no smoke in the lungs.
Vapers know that vaping isn’t likely to be harmful and that the government and the anti-smoking prudes have no evidence of harm on which to base their witch hunt.
As usual there are parts of the public that can think for themselves and view the government as a malicious institution. As noted in the recent election.
Advertising over 50 years doesn't work. A government without data has no clout.