I have observed that many high school and college students smoke cigars. Recent data, in fact, indicates that cigar smoking has increased among young people. (1) Of interest, cigar consumption is significantly greater among individuals with more education. In view of the health risks of cigars, why has there been an increase in cigar smoking, particularly among well-educated people? The purpose of my talk is to understand some of the reasons for the current popularity of cigar smoking.
Native Americans and early European settlers smoked cigars - long, thick.
bundles of twisted tobacco leaves wrapped in a dried palm leaf. The first U. S. cigar factory was established in Connecticut in 1810. Cigar manufacturing spread to other parts of the U. S., as cigar smoking gained in popularity. By 1900, tobacco used in cigars accounted for 2 of the 7.5 pounds consumed per adult in the U. S. (2) However, after World War I, as the popularity of cigarettes increased, cigar smoking began to decline. In the mid 1960s cigar use increased slightly as a response to the Surgeon General's report about the disease risks of smoking cigarettes. However, cigar consumption again steadily declined until the early 1990s. (3).
Remarkably, from 1993 to 1999, cigar sales in the United States soared, increasing almost 50 %. The sale of premium, hand made-cigars increased almost 90%. (4) During this period new cigar shops opened, celebrity cigar events became popular, and articles in the press appeared about the hot new trend. The rebirth of cigar smoking in the United States appears in good part related to a sophisticated marketing campaign inspired by one man, Marvin Shankin. (5) Using his up- scale magazine, Cigar Aficionado, Shankin succeeded in convincing readers that cigar smoking was part of the "good life" - associated with the glamor of the rich and famous. Magazine covers featured well-known "power brokers", athletes and movie stars - including Winston Churchill, Bill Cosby, Jack Nicholson, Arnold Schwartzenegger, Wayne Gretzky, and Demi Moore.
