It was 50 years ago today, on Jan. 11, 1964, that the first surgeon general’s report was released, linking cigarette smoking with lung cancer. The press conference was scheduled on a Saturday to avoid a possible negative impact on the stock market due to tobacco stock trading.

At the time of the announcement, nearly half of American adults were smokers and smoking was allowed in offices, airplanes, elevators and hospital waiting rooms.

The report set off a panic of smoking cessation attempts and cigarette consumption dropped by 20 percent within three months. U.S. Surgeon General Luther Terry, was himself a smoker and quit just days before the report was released. However, smoking soon overcame the bad publicity and eventually grew stronger.

Reflecting this week on that historic event, Dr. Bonnie Boles, a board-certified pulmonary specialist with Tanner Lung and Sleep Medicine in Carrollton, said a lot of gains have been made in the past five decades, but a lot more needs to be done in the battle against smoking.

“If you look at the statistics, we’ve seen a dramatic improvement,” Boles said. “About 23 percent of West Georgia adults smoke and the rate is about 19 percent in the state. Nationally, the figure is 13 percent.”

Boles said one of the biggest changes has been at business meetings where smoking used to be allowed and ash trays were on every table.

“It was a time when doctors smoked at meetings and medical school students smoked,” she said. “Making it more difficult to smoke has made a huge impact.”

Boles feels restrictions on where people can smoke continues to discourage the habit. She noted that some cities have banned smoking on all their properties, including outdoor parks.

She believes removal of cigarette advertisements from television in 1971 helped keep many young people from smoking. In 1964, some of the children’s TV cartoon shows were sponsored by tobacco companies.

Smoking by youth still remains a problem, and according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 88 percent of daily adult smokers report that they started smoking by the age of 18 years.

“Young people don’t think they will become addicted,” Boles said. “They don’t realize how addictive nicotine is and how difficult it is to quit smoking once they become addicted.”

Boles noted that electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) are being used by many people to quit smoking and Georgia Tech is participating in a study on e-cigarettes.

“There’s not a lot of scientific evidence yet on e-cigarettes,” she said. “It definitely needs to be studied. My personal experience is that patients who use nicotine replacement gums or lozenges, or prescription medications, have a better chance of quitting in the long run, because they are not reinforcing the hand-to-mouth habit of inhaling something.”

Boles said she sees patients who are already using e-cigarettes to quit smoking and she realizes it is an available option.

“I don’t come out and recommend it, but anything that can help somebody stop smoking is good,” she said.

Boles said that while the 1964 report positively established the link between smoking and cancer, heart disease and other illnesses, people still questioned its finding for a long time.

“I think the tobacco industry had a role in downplaying the danger and that’s a tragedy,” she said. “Some people still don’t think it’s as dangerous as it is.”

A number of smoking cessation programs are available locally:

• Fresh Start free tobacco cessation classes are sponsored by Tanner Health System’s “Get Healthy, Live Well” wellness initiative.

The program helps people understand tobacco addiction and provides proven, practical tools to help quit tobacco for good. The class provides support through the first few days, when quitting is most difficult, and then teaches how to master obstacles that may come later.

Online registration for the classes is available at www.GetHealthyLiveWell.org, then by clicking on “Fresh Start Tobacco Cessation Classes” under the “Live Tobacco Free” tab at the top of the page. Registration is also available by phone, 770-214-2273 (CARE).

Seats are still available for classes on Jan. 14 and Jan. 21. The class is offered at Tanner Medical Center/Carrollton on the first three Tuesdays of every month. Upcoming dates are listed on the events calendar of GetHealthyLiveWell.org.

The Fresh Start class can also be offered to area businesses and churches. To arrange for a class at your business or organization, contact Phyllis Head at phead@tanner.org, or call 770-812-6295.

• Tanner also has a “Don’t Be a Bonehead” program to address teen smoking.

So far, 161 teens have volunteered as peer ambassadors by taking the “Don’t Be a Bonehead” pledge. More than 300 west Georgia youth have committed to live tobacco-free by signing the “Don’t Be a Bonehead” banner. More information on the campaign is online at www.DontBeABonehead.org.