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US health experts predict the coming of a cigarette-free America

ATLANTA — Health officials have begun to predict the end of cigarette smoking in the United States.

Acting US Surgeon General Boris Lushniak last month released a 980-page report on smoking.

“We believe we have the public health tools to get us to the zero level,” he said.

Though the goal of a cigarette-free America has long seemed like a pipe dream, public-health leaders have started throwing around phrases like “endgame” and “tobacco-free generation” amid a confluence of recent changes, including:

  •  Cigarette taxes have increased around the country, making smokes more expensive.
  •  Laws banning smoking in restaurants, bars and workplaces have popped up all over the country.
  • Smoking is no longer considered normal behavior, polls show.
  • Federal officials are increasingly aggressive about anti-smoking ads.
  •  Tobacco companies have suffered some huge defeats in court.
  • Retailing is changing; CVS Caremark announced last week it will stop selling tobacco products.

“I do think, in another few years, that pharmacies selling cigarettes will look as anachronistic” as old cigarette ads featuring physician endorsements look today, said CDC Director Dr. Tom Frieden.