Editorial: Anti-smoking efforts proved we can reverse ills

The effort to battle smoking in the United States began in earnest 50 years ago this past Saturday, when Surgeon General Luther Terry said that smoking was dangerous and urged action.
Today, the war against this leading preventable cause of death is far from over, but it has been largely successful, and that triumph offers important lessons about the power of government, science and persistent advocacy.
It's hard to imagine today, but in 1964 smoking was acceptable practically everywhere, from hospitals to airplanes to children's nurseries. About 42 percent of American adults smoked, and there were few meaningful restrictions on the ability of minors to buy tobacco. Athletes smoked. Doctors smoked. Many who didn't partake likely declined out of personal preference, rather than medical fear.