A new Gallup poll suggests that cigarette smoking has declined to an all-time low, so much so that the odds of you meeting an American who smokes cigarettes is just as likely as encountering one who smokes marijuana.
Only 15% of Americans adults said that they smoked a cigarette in the last week, the lowest ever figure recorded by Gallup in its 75-year history of researching habits.
Notably, 45% of American adults accepted smoking cigarettes in the 1950s, followed by 30% saying ‘yes’ at the beginning of this century.
The same poll conducted from July 1-12, 2019, found that 12% of Americans now smoke marijuana. This figure is higher than the 7% who reported marijuana use back in 2013, but consistent with the 11%-13% who have identified as weed users since 2015.
There can be a number of reasons for the decline in the consumption of cigarette:
- People have begun to understand the harmful effects of tobacco
- Smoking ban in bars
- The rise of e-cigarettes/vaping
- And of course, the legalization of recreational cannabis across 11 states in the US
This poll marked the first time that Gallup asked respondents whether they had “vaped” in the last week. 8% of the people surveyed replied in the affirmative.
Interestingly, Gallup noticed a striking generational gap when it came to e-cigarette consumption. Nearly 20% of the respondents aged 30 and younger said that they had vaped in the week gone by in comparison with 8% of the adults between the ages of 30 and 49 and a mere 3% between 50-64.
While announcing the findings, Gallup said that the declining use of cigarettes — although good for the health of individuals — is a worrying trend for the tobacco industry, considering the fact that legal recreational marijuana has just reached 11 states.
