1492: Columbus was given tobacco leaves as a gift from a Native American tribe. 1548: Tobacco is commercially cultivated for export in Brazil. 1565: Tobacco is introduced to England by Sir John Hawkins and his crew. At this time tobacco was mainly used by sailors. 1570: The first botanical book on tobacco was written by Pena and Lobel of London. 1571: Doctors across mainland Europe began to associate the smoking of tobacco with various health benefits, prescribing it as a treatment for 36 different illnesses. 1580: Commercial cultivation of tobacco becomes a growth industry. 1585: Sir Francis Drake introduces Sir Walter Raleigh to smoking. 1602: Publication of A warning for tobacconists in England written by an anonymous doctor who attempted to highlight the hazards of smoking by relating the similarities of smoking tobacco to the soot inhaled by chimney sweeps, known to cause respiratory problems and premature death. 1604: King James I of England introduced high taxes on tobacco imports to dissuade people from smoking. In A Counterblaste to Tobacco he wrote: Smoking is a custom loathsome to the eye, hateful to the nose, harmful to the brain, dangerous to the lungs, and in the black, stinking fume thereof nearest resembling the horrible Stygian smoke of the pit that is bottomless. 1610: Sir Francis Bacon writes tobacco use is increasing and that it is a custom hard to quit. 1618-48: The thirty years war spurs an expansion of smoking, and Sir Walter Raleigh, popularizer of tobacco in England, is beheaded for treason. Upon Ralegh s tobacco box, found in his cell afterwards, is the inscription, Comes meus fuit illo miserrimo tempo. ( It was my comfort in those miserable times. ) 1619: The tobacco industry is booming in the developing world, where the leaves are exchanged as currency in return for other goods and many slaves are being brought in to farm the tobacco plantations. 1620: King James I regulates tobacco imports and forbids tobacco growing in England. 1660: Charles II returns to London from exile in Paris and establishes the French Court s use of snuff (sniffing tobacco) amongst the British aristocracy. 1693: Smoking is banned in the House of Commons 1761: Physician John Hill publishes Cautions against the Immoderate Use of Snuff, the first clinical study of the effects of tobacco. Hill warns snuff users they are vulnerable to cancers of the nose. 1.
1853- Crimean War. British soldiers bring back cheap cigarettes from their Turkish allies. 1856: 1852: Matches are introduced making smoking much more convenient. 1854: London s Bond Street becomes the centre of the English retail tobacco trade. 1880: Improvements in manufacturing, transportation and packaging lead to nationwide selling of branded cigarettes. 1901: Queen Victoria dies. Succeeded by her son Edward VII (a smoker) many of the restrictions placed on the use of tobacco are lifted and a Royal tobacconist is appointed. 1908: Children Act introduced which introduced measures to protect children s welfare, prohibited the sale of tobacco to under 16s. 1911: Tobacco farming is allowed in the UK for the first time in more than 250 years. 1914- World War I saw the rise of cigarettes as currency and British troops were provided cigarettes 1918: with their rations. 1927: Branding and advertising now designed to appeal to women 1930: Scientists in Germany discover a statistical link between smoking and cancer. 1939: German doctor, Franz Muller, publishes his research presenting irrefutable evidence exposing the relationship between smoking tobacco and developing lung cancer. 1939- World War II. Again cigarettes are supplied to the military and again used as currency in exchange 1945: for rationed goods. By the end of the war cigarette consumption is at an all time high and shortages lead to price increases. 1942: British researcher successfully substitutes nicotine injections for smoking, prompting wider research into tobacco addiction. 1951: Dr Richard Doll and Prof Austin Bradford Hill conduct first large-scale study of link between smoking and lung cancer. 1952: The Great London smog. 12,000 people are thought to have died from respiratory disease caused by air pollution. 1954: Dr Doll and his team publish a paper confirming the link between smoking and lung cancer. 1957: British Medical Research Council announces a direct causal connection between smoking and lung cancer. 2.
1958: A number of publishers including medical journals, the Good Housekeeping Guide and the Reader s Digest cease to advertise tobacco products. 1959: First anti-smoking campaigns began. 1962: Royal College of Physicians report concludes that smoking is a cause of lung cancer and bronchitis, and probably contributes to coronary heart disease. It recommends tougher laws on cigarette sales and advertising, and smoking in public places. 1965: British government bans cigarette advertising on television. 1971: Government health warnings to be carried on all cigarette packets sold in the UK, following an agreement between the government and the tobacco industry. 1973: First tar/nicotine tables published in UK. 1974: Tar tables upgraded, dividing cigarettes into five categories of tar content. 1975: Imperial Tobacco agrees to drop brand names and logos from racing cars in UK races as control of tobacco advertising switches from the industry to the independent Advertising Standards Authority. Government and industry agree on advertising curbs. Ads will no longer suggest cigarettes are safe, popular, natural or healthy, nor will they link smoking with social, sexual or business success.the restrictions are followed by 3 decades of what some consider the most creative, abstract and memorable ads in history. 1976: Prof Sir Richard Doll and Richard Peto publish results of 20-year study of smokers, and conclude that one in three dies from the habit.thames Television released a film called Death in the West which contrasted branded cigarette product placement in Western Movies with real life cowboy smokers dying of lung disease.the cigarette manufacturer successfully sued the television company ensuring that the film would never be aired again. 1980: Product placement in films becomes big business.tobacco firms compete to get the biggest stars to smoke their brand on the big screen. 1983: Latest Royal College of Physicians report features passive smoking for the first time. It also asserts that more than 100,000 people die every year in the UK from smoking-related illness. 1984: Smoking banned on London Underground trains. 1985: Smoking ban extended to those stations that are wholly or partly underground. 3.
1986 HEALTH WARNINGS Smoking can cause fatal diseases Smoking can cause heart disease Smoking when pregnant can injure your baby and cause premature birth Stopping smoking reduces the risk of serious diseases Smoking can cause lung cancer, bronchitis and other chest diseases More than 30,000 people die each year in the UK from lung cancer 1986: New advertising and promotion guidelines agreed, including banning tobacco advertising in cinemas and a range of new health warnings. 1987: London Underground smoking ban extended to entire network following the King s Cross station fire, in which 31 people died. 1988: Independent Scientific Committee on Smoking and Health report concludes that non-smokers have a 10-30% higher risk of developing lung cancer if exposed to other people s smoke. A US court awards damages against a tobacco firm to the family of a woman who died of lung cancer. 1989: A UK court rules that injury caused by passive smoking can be an industrial accident. 1992: First nicotine skin patch available on prescription in the UK. 1993: Sir Richard Doll s latest study results suggest smokers are three times more likely to die in middle-age than non-smokers, and up to half of all smokers may eventually die from their habit. 1995: World No-Tobacco day launched with the slogan tobacco costs more than you think. Nicotine is specifically excluded from the Disability Discriminations Act. 1996: A lung-cancer sufferer awarded $500,000 against a US tobacco company after a jury ruled that the manufacturer had shown negligence in not alerting smokers to the hazards of smoking. May 1997: New Labour government pledges to ban tobacco advertising. June 1997: US tobacco firms agree a multi-billion-dollar settlement to cover healthcare costs incurred by treating people with smoking-related illnesses in return for halting multi-action lawsuits and limiting claims for individuals. 1997: Government calls for Formula One to be exempt from proposed EU directive on tobacco advertising and sponsorship, but backs down in the face of widespread criticism which threatens the entire directive. 1998: Government published Smoking Kills the first UK white paper on tobacco control. Government-appointed Scientific Committee on Tobacco and Health says passive smoking is a cause of lung cancer and heart disease in adults. 4.
1999: Royal seal is removed from the cigarette brand manufactured by the company formerly deemed the Royal tobacconists.the World Health Organisation holds first Framework Convention on Tobacco Control Working Group. 2000: Another award against tobacco companies becomes a landmark case because the plaintiff had begun smoking after health warnings had started appearing on cigarette packets and therefore was not entitled to any compensation. 2001: New EU directive requires larger, more prominent health warnings on tobacco packaging. 2002: British parliament passes legislation that began as a Private Member s Bill, banning tobacco advertising. Deadline for phasing out sponsorship of Formula One motor racing brought forward to comply with EU directive. Allowance for importing cigarettes for personal use raised from 800 to 3,200 cigarettes per person. 7th November 2002: The Tobacco Advertising and Promotion Act received Royal Assent after passing through the House of Commons.The ban would take effect in 3 stages: 14th February 2003, new tobacco sponsorship agreements, advertising on billboards and in the press and free distributions will be banned.the ban also covers direct mail, internet advertising and new promotions. 14th May in-pack promotions and direct marketing will be banned. On 30th July tobacco sponsorship of UK events will be banned. Exceptional global events, such as the sponsorship of Formula One, however continue until July 2005. 5.
December 2002: British Medical Association calls for a ban in smoking in public places because of the threat to non-smokers. 22nd January 2003: The Welsh National Assembly voted 4 to 1 to ban smoking in all public places. Wales is the first UK region to suggest such a drastic step. 30th January 2003: The Irish Health Minister announces a complete ban on smoking in the workplace to take effect in 2004 2003: Cancer Research UK advertising campaign, funded by the Department of Health, targets smokers of mild brands, warning that they could be just as dangerous. EU ban light or mild from cigarette branding. Health warnings must cover 30% of the front of a packet and 40% of the back. January 2004: British Heart Foundation uses graphic images to reinforce its government-sponsored anti-smoking campaign. March 2004: The Irish Republic introduce the toughest anti-smoking laws in Europe with a complete ban in workplaces.taoiseach Bertie Ahern described it as landmark legislation. November 2004: A Public Health White Paper proposes introducing a smoking ban in workplaces by 2008, with pubs which do not serve food and private members clubs exempted.the legislation would apply to England and Wales, but the Welsh Assembly has said it would amend the bill to create a comprehensive ban when it gains Royal Assent in England.
March 2005: A British Medical Journal report produces the most authoritative data yet on the impact of passive smoking. Researchers claimed it killed 11,000 a year in the UK. April 2005: MSPs voted by 83 to 15 to introduce a ban on smoking in public places from April the following year. Smokers who defy the ban are liable to pay a 1,000 fine. 21st May 2005: The World Health Organisation s Convention on Tobacco Control is approved by all 192 nations. July 2005: The final phase of the UK s Tobacco Advertising and Promotion Act also into effect, banning tobacco sponsorship of sports, such as Formula 1. http://www.hmso.gov.uk/si/si2003/20030077.htm. Brand sharing Regulations also come into effect.tobacco companies may no longer feature their name, logo, or branding on clothes and merchandise. September 2005: Eye experts warn smokers are twice as likely to lose their sight in later life than non-smokers. Smoking is also linked to heart disease, impotence, infertility and a significant number of cancers. October 2005: Northern Ireland agree on a smoking ban in all workplaces and public spaces from April 2007 as discussions over the England smoking ban break down at cabinet level, causing the smoking ban bill to be delayed and doubts over how a ban will be introduced. February 2006: House of Commons passes nearly total smoking ban. July 2006: European total ban on tobacco advertising comes into effect. 2007: Britain s National Health Service becomes completely smoke free. April 2007: Smoking ban in public places comes into effect in Wales. July 2007: Health Act 2006 smoking ban comes into effect across England. October 2007: Minimum age to buy cigarettes rises from 16 to 18 years. Registered charity in England and Wales (225971) and in Scotland (SC039426). Quit is a charity registered in England and Wales 1042482 and a charity registered in Scotland SC041353. 6.