Oh the infamous cigarette. Much has changed in society’s interpretation of the social drug, going from a small cylindrical object at the head of the ‘Doctor Says’ ads, to a must-have item in the promotion of female beauty standards, and finally landing the leading role of the ‘victim’ of harsh government policies. The evolution of these false claims played a substantial role on the development of cigarette use as a social necessity.
Smoking still seems to be a rather big thing in our society today, yet the total number of smokers in the nicotine community has faced a radical stagnation. In 1974, the Office for National Statistics classified 45% of the British population as frequent smokers. However, as of 2017, this number has fallen to 14.9%.
Such a switch in numbers presents a clear reflection of consistent government intervention through tobacco tax increases, pictures of the side-effects of tobacco use on product packaging and the ban of all tobacco-related advertising by companies within the market.
Advertisements of the 60s and 70s all portray smokers as good-looking and fashionable, with the cigarette as the necessary accessory to reach such levels of ‘coolness.’
Although the UK government has been very successful in its efforts, as proved by the aforementioned statistics, there are governments who have only just managed to ban smoking indoors completely. On May 30th 2017, the people of the Czech Republic were faced with the unimaginable: a complete ban of smoking indoors. However, proving themselves to be one of the more heavy smoking nations, the law did not apply to e-cigarettes, and many smokers quickly got around the law through the introduction of IQOS, a heat-not-burn cigarette. The small holder resembling a pen acts as a chamber for a disposable tobacco stick, which heats the tobacco up and allows its user to puff away at their own leisure. This weird vape-cig hybrid seems to mix the worst of both worlds: increased nicotine levels and, well, vaping.
Whether you’re looking for a ‘healthier’ alternative to cigarettes, or just happen to be a member of a vapourwave cult, chances are you’ll be found puffing on an e-cig. Perhaps you’re just a bit of an ‘old soul’ or just a broke student, often forming friendships from a basic silver Rizla exchange during a night out or souring someone’s day by borrowing (or stealing) their light.
