Up in smoke, 50 years later

Fifty years ago Saturday, Luther Terry, United States surgeon general, stood behind a podium on nationwide television and told the public what had been rumored for years.

Cigarettes caused cancer and a variety of other diseases, and the 45 percent of Americans who smoked would be wise to kick the habit.

In the ensuing half century, the public perception of cigarette smoking has changed radically.

According to anti-tobacco activists, Montana has changed from being the home of the Marlboro Man to being a leader in the effort to curb smoking.

Supporters of smokers' rights agree that may be the case, but they don't see that as a good thing.

Here are the facts:

• In 1965, nearly half of the adult population smoked. Today, depending on which survey you trust, between 18 and 20 percent of adults light up.

• Cigarette smoking is seen as less socially acceptable. Smokers generally feel they have to ask if it is OK to light up, said Jay Schuschke, a tobacco prevention specialist for the HELP Committee.

• Many states, including Montana, have prohibited smoking in the workplace, restaurants, taverns and casinos.

• Tobacco advertising in print and on television has disappeared.

• Taxes on cigarettes have increased, which anti-tobacco advocates believe has prompted more people to quit smoking.

Montana was believed to have one of the highest smoking rates in the 1960s. It was the home of the Marlboro Man, the star of television commercials. The free-thinking Montana rancher would light up his cigarette as a sign he was a free-thinking independent man, Schuschke recalled.

But despite its earlier reputation, the Treasure State has been a nationwide leader in the effort to reduce smoking, said Schuschke.

Montana was one of the first states to ban smoking in the workplace, in restaurants and taverns, he said.

College campuses are among those that have severely limited tobacco use.

At Montana State University-Northern, smoking was prohibited inside all buildings about eight years ago. People can smoke farther than 25 feet away from buildings. That's less severe than some Montana campuses that ban smoking on campus all together.

Jim Potter, university relations director at MSU-Northern recalls some opposition from smokers when the policy first took effect.

"But today, smokers are used to it, and us nonsmokers appreciate it," he said.

At the Northern Montana Health Care campus, smoking is prohibited on the property.

But all of this has not been without controversy, and not everyone is celebrating the anniversary of Terry's pronouncement.

The Heartland Institute, a conservative-libertarian think tank, has led the opposition to tobacco regulations, questioning whether the cancer-causing effects of cigarettes have been overstated.

"The public health community's campaign to demonize smokers and all forms of tobacco is based on junk science," Heartland Institute President Joseph Bast said in 2007.

The institute believes that smokers rights have been denied in the process. The group believes that the free-market could solve the dispute over smoking.

"There are many reasons to be skeptical about what professional anti-smoking advocates say," the groups' website says. "They personally profit by exaggerating the health threats of smoking and winning passage of higher taxes and bans on smoking in public places."

The property rights of businesses were ignored, the institute believes, according to its website.

If companies want to ban smoking because it is better for their business, they should feel free to do so, but should not be mandated by the state, the institute believes.

Schuschke said he was sure that the in the long run, the free-marketplace would result in smoke-free businesses.

"But this is an emergency. We don't have time. People are dying from cigarettes," he said.

He said several studies have shown how dangerous it is to smoke and how many lives have been saved by anti-tobacco legislation.

He blames corporate tobacco interests for reports denying that second hand smoke is dangerous, and tobacco companies have contributed heavily to the Heartland Institute.

Montana's Clean Indoor Act, passed in 2005, has resulted in safer workplaces for restaurant and casino employees.

Workers who once had to endanger their health to collect a paycheck no longer have to do so, he said.

"People were told if they didn't like working in a smoky environment, they could quit," he said. "Well it's not that easy. People need a paycheck to pay the bills."

Still, some question whether second hand smoke is as dangerous as medical experts believe.

When the Montana Legislature debated the issue, some lawmakers said people should be allowed to smoke in taverns.

Rep. Rick Maedje, R-Fortine, questioned whether fears of secondhand smoke are overblown and he rejected claims that dozens of Montanans die each year from exposure to such smoke. The number is closer to eight, he said.

"Second hand smoke is less a deadly thing than driving on the highways," Meadje said.

Young people take part

While political solutions in the battle against smoking have been successful, the "educational aspect has been the most helpful," Schuschke said.

The group reACT - React Against Corporate Tobacco - has been formed at Havre High School. It is a voice against smoking at the school.

"Young people don't like to listen to adults preach," Schuschke said.

Anti-smoking radio ads run throughout the area, especially at KHEW, the radio station at Rocky Boy's Indian Reservation.

Schuschke said reACT also has a political side.

Students lobbied in favor of anti-tobacco legislation in Helena.

Three years ago, students traveled to the capitol to lobby against funding cuts to the anti-cigarette programs.

States get millions of dollars from a class-action lawsuit filed against big tobacco companies by attorneys generals. States are not required to spend the money on anti-tobacco education efforts, but Montana had done that.

In 2011, there was a proposal to slash the tobacco programs funding in half.

Local lawmakers were supportive of students' pleas against that, Schuschke recalled. But in the long run, they voted for the cuts because "some tough decisions had to be made."

Schuschke is optimistic that the successes of the anti-smoking efforts will continue.

While the Marlboro Man once was touted as an example of Montanans' independence, today the state is an example of Montanans' independence from corporate tobacco.