U.S. Census Bureau Daily Feature for January 21: NYC Bans Women Smoking

WASHINGTON, Jan. 21, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Following is the daily "Profile America" feature from the U.S. Census Bureau:

NYC BANS WOMEN SMOKING

Profile America — Saturday, January 21st. You may think the aversion to smoking is a recent development, but the more things change, the more they resemble 1908. On this date that year, the New York City council passed an ordinance that made it illegal for women to smoke in public places. The ordinance was the result of a campaign by the National Anti-Cigarette League. At the time, a number of cities had banned smoking, along with the states of Arkansas, Iowa, Idaho, and Tennessee. All of these laws were revoked by 1917, since they were not only difficult to enforce but added to the allure of smoking. That appeal has diminished in the past half century, and currently some 1320 municipalities across the U.S. have restrictions on smoking.  Still, there remain some 134 cigarette brands in the U.S., with annual sales of over $31 billion. Profile America is in its 20th year as a public service of the U.S. Census Bureau.

Sources:
Anniversary/accessed 11/9/2016: http://www.brainyhistory.com/years/1908.html 
Sullivan ordinance/accessed 11/9/2016: http://gothamist.com/2014/01/21/photos_women_smoking_in_public_desp.php 
Other bans/accessed 11/9/2016: http://www.jewishworldreview.com/cols/thomas063098.html 
Current smoking bans/accessed 11/9/2016: http://www.no-smoke.org/pdf/100ordlisttabs.pdf 
Cigarette brands/accessed 11/9/2016: http://www.revenue.nebraska.gov/cig/cig_alpha.html 
Cigarette revenues/Annual Survey of Manufacturers/NAICS 312221: http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/ASM/2012/31VS101//prodsvc~312221

Profile America is produced by the Center for New Media and Promotion of the U.S. Census Bureau. Statistics and accounts drawn from cited non-Census sources are employed for illustrative or narrative purposes, and are not attested to by the U.S. Census Bureau. These daily features are available as produced segments, ready to air, on the Internet at http://www.census.gov (look for "Audio" in the "Library" pull-down menu). 

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SOURCE U.S. Census Bureau