A look back at local, national and world events through Deseret News archives.
On Jan. 11, 1964, U.S. Surgeon General Luther Terry issued “Smoking and Health,” a report that concluded that “cigarette smoking contributes substantially to mortality from certain specific diseases and to the overall death rate.”
The report, covered extensively in the Deseret News and by other news organizations, did not change everything related to smoking — we know that now, even 60 years later — but it does afford a moment to reflect on success and failure.
Here are the Deseret News headlines on the front page related to the news:
- “Smoking branded ‘health hazard’”
- “Smoking given ‘causal’ label”
- “Utahns back smoking bans”
- “KSL president backs curb on tobacco ads”
Much has been written and editorialized on the topic, and the battle to combat tobacco use and related health issues continues.
Here is a 2014 Associated Press report on the 50th anniversary of the report’s release:
“ATLANTA — Fifty years ago, ashtrays seemed to be on every table and desk. Athletes and even Fred Flintstone endorsed cigarettes in TV commercials. Smoke hung in the air in restaurants, offices and airplane cabins. More than 42 percent of U.S. adults smoked, and there was a good chance your doctor was among them.
“The turning point came on Jan. 11, 1964. It was on that Saturday morning that U.S. Surgeon General Luther Terry released an emphatic and authoritative report that said smoking causes illness and death — and the government should do something about it.
“In the decades that followed, warning labels were put on cigarette packs, cigarette commercials were banned, taxes were raised and new restrictions were placed on where people could light up.
“‘It was the beginning,’ said Kenneth Warner, a University of Michigan public health professor who is a leading authority on smoking and health.
“It was not the end. While the U.S. smoking rate has fallen by more than half to 18 percent, that still translates to more than 43 million smokers. Smoking is still far and away the leading preventable cause of death in the U.S. Some experts predict large numbers of Americans will puff away for decades to come.
“Nevertheless, the Terry report has been called one of the most important documents in U.S. public health history, and on its 50th anniversary, officials are not only rolling out new anti-smoking campaigns but reflecting on what the nation did right that day.”
Here are some stories from Deseret News archives on the subject:
“‘64 report lit up war on smoking”
“Utah has the lowest smoking rate in the country”
“Smokers are routinely misinformed”
“Historic report that changed the face of smoking in the U.S. turns 50″
“Deseret News archives: American Cancer Society report started the move to health message on smoking”
“In our opinion: Utah should raise the legal smoking age”
“Smokers have to take it outside”
