With a cigarette in one hand and a martini in the other, Barbara Stanwyck always looked so cool, so tough in those black-and-white movies. When I was a smoker back in college, I used to imagine I looked just like her. I felt tough, sexy with my cigarettes. Then I saw a photo of myself with a cigarette, and I was terribly disappointed. I didn’t look anything like Barbara Stanwyck. I looked more like Madeline Kahn in “Blazing Saddles.”
I quit about ten years ago, but I sympathize with my students who are struggling with our new campus policy banning tobacco products. One of my angry students compared the crusade against tobacco to the Prohibition of the 1920s and 1930s and comforted himself with the idea that tobacco, like alcohol, would eventually be exonerated and the bans lifted. I let him rant. He was clearly upset and in a fit of nicotine withdrawal. But I thought about it after class. Is the current rash of anti-tobacco policies and laws comparable to Prohibition? Will the “fad” pass? Will cigarettes and other tobacco products eventually come back into society’s good graces the way liquor did?

At the risk of mortally disappointing my student, I must disagree with his assumption that the anti-tobacco crusade is just a passing phase the way Prohibition was. In fact, there are just too many differences between tobacco and alcohol to draw any kind of legitimate comparison between the two.

First, if you look at the histories of tobacco and alcohol, you can immediately see an enormous discrepancy between the two. Alcohol has been part of human society for thousands and thousands of years: the ancient Greeks drank wine, and the Bible mentions wine many times. In ancient times, alcohol was often safer to drink than water because of the poor sanitation. Tobacco is a recent addition to human history. Until the late 15th century, it was known only to Native Americans, and they used it ritually, not casually. The Europeans began importing it from America for two reasons: fashion and money. It was fashionable to have things from “the New World,” and tobacco became a status symbol. Tobacco also fueled the infant economy of the new colonies and became a driving factor in slave labor. Not exactly an auspicious start for the nasty little plant.

Then there’s the issue of the anti-tobacco crusaders vs. anti-alcohol crusaders. The anti-alcohol crusade was led primarily by people who saw drinking as a sin. It was a religious and humanitarian movement driven by preachers and women who wanted to keep “demon rum” out of American homes. The anti-tobacco crusade is less moralistic and more clinical. It has been led primarily by doctors and other medical personnel who are dealing with the horrific effects of tobacco on their patients.

In addition, no one has ever been able to identify any health benefits of tobacco, and you’d better believe the big companies have tried. Sure, there are economic benefits, but at terrible human and environmental costs. Alcohol, on the other hand, has been shown to have health benefits and it does little or no harm when consumed responsibly.

Finally, there is the issue of tobacco’s victims vs. alcohol’s victims. Tobacco hurts not only the user, but also non-users and the environment. Secondhand smoke can cause cancer in non-smokers. Smokers accidentally cause fires that destroy homes and lives. Smoke pollutes the air; cigarette butts litter our streets. You don’t have to be a serious smoker to do damage with tobacco. Even people who smoke only half a pack a day endanger themselves, those around them and the environment. Alcohol, on the other hand, is not harmful unless it is abused. When consumed responsibly, alcohol will not hurt anyone, including the consumer.

At this point in tobacco’s history, smoking is no longer considered fashionable in most places; in some small circles, like rock stars and models, it is seen as part of a lifestyle. Today there are still just two nasty reasons for tobacco to exist: addiction and money. Smokers need tobacco, psychologically or physically. Tobacco companies need tobacco for the money. Neither of these really warrants the continuation of a dangerous and dirty product. So I think my poor student is going to be disappointed, and I must admit that in at least one way, I’ll be sorry to see cigarettes go. They sure made nice props in film noir.