In fact, U.S. consumption of cigarettes has been rising slightly in recent years. Analysts said that, if history is any guide, efforts to keep people from smoking are highly unlikely to be universally successful. Government leaders have been trying virtually since European settlers landed in North America. Yet, it was the thing that made his colony profitable. Some even questioned whether increased government involvement might backfire.
Prohibition is considered one of the country's great legislative fiascoes.
If people want to smoke cigarettes in their own home, government should leave them alone. But the attorneys general essentially disagreed. Their argument is that smoking takes a toll on all Americans, whether they smoke or not. Statistics like these have Ahron Leichtman, head of Citizens for a Tobacco-Free Society, hopeful that yesterday's agreement will indeed lead to a reduction in cigarette smoking in the United States. But others think the possibility remains that, in its zeal to curb tobacco use, government may simply drive it underground.