The packaging on Kool brand's "non-menthol" cigarettes and its existing menthols are very similar. Anti-smoking activists argue this is a way to get around any ban on menthol cigarettes by appealing to consumers who like to smoke menthols. Stanford Medicine hide caption
Images from some of our most popular global stories of 2023 (left to right): A woman from Brazil's Awa people holds her bow and arrow after a hunt; an artificial intelligence program made this fake photo to fulfill a request for "doctors help children in Africa" â AI added the giraffe; researchers are learning that a stranger's hello can do more than just brighten your day. Scott Wallace/Getty Images, Midjourney Bot Version 5.1. Annotation by NPR, David Rowland/AP hide caption
Teresa Butler visits Trish and Glen Johnston at their home in Christchurch, New Zealand, to support Trish, 79, who gave up smoking four years ago. Trish is Māori and Glen is pākehā — a white New Zealander. Jinki Cambronero for NPR hide caption
The FDA hopes that a new limit on nicotine levels in cigarettes will help people stop smoking or avoid the habit altogether. Paul J. Richards/AFP via Getty Images hide caption
To try to break less-than-ideal habits one may have developed over the pandemic, it's ok to start slowly. SolStock/Getty Images hide caption
Manufacturers sold 203.7 billion cigarettes in 2020, up 0.4% from a year earlier, the Federal Trade Commission says. Esther Moreno Martinez / EyeEm/Getty Images/EyeEm hide caption
A pack of Marlboro cigarettes at a store in Miami. Philip Morris International's CEO Jacek Olczak said the company will stop selling Marlboro cigarettes in the U.K. in the next 10 years. Joe Raedle/Getty Images hide caption
A reader wants to know about smoking's impact on the vaccine but didn't specify cigarettes, e-cigs ... or marijuana. So we'll discuss all three. Jordan Kirchner for NPR hide caption
A man smokes in the street in Madrid on Friday after Spain's health minister announced curbs on smoking outdoors in an effort to contain a resurgence of COVID-19. picture alliance/dpa/picture alliance via Getty Images hide caption
People who smoke, vape or use nicotine in any form will not be hired by U-Haul in the 21 states where such hiring policies are legal. boonchai wedmakawand/Getty Images hide caption
Declines in smoking contributed to a drop in lung cancer death rates that helped drive down overall cancer death rates in the U.S., according to the latest analysis of trends by the American Cancer Society. VIEW press/Corbis via Getty Images hide caption
The CDC is still trying to understand the mechanism by which Vitamin E acetate, an additive in some vapes, injures lung tissue. It may interfere with a natural fluid in the lung called surfactant, which helps make lung tissue stretchy. Or a byproduct may be a toxic chemical. Jelacic Valentina/EyeEm/Getty Images hide caption
Using e-cigarettes doesn't seem to be as risky as smoking tobacco. But both activities can cause long-term lung problems, research finds — and the effect seems to be additive for people who do both. Steve Helber/AP hide caption
Even as the popularity of e-cigarettes exploded — with unknown health risks — the federal government was slow to regulate vaping companies. Eva Hambach/AFP via Getty Images hide caption
Vanderbilt University professor John Geer sits for a video-taped deposition in 2014, defending his expert witness report which backed up the tobacco industry position that smokers knew of the health risks of smoking as early as the mid-1950s. Academics often provide testimony for the industry. Kenneth Byrd hide caption
This notice on a cigarette packet in Thailand shows the potential impact of reduced blood circulation to extremities because of smoking. Such pictorial warnings are among the anti-smoking measures that are more likely to be found in countries that have limited Big Tobacco's influence on their politics, according to the new Global Tobacco Industry Interference Index. Apichart Weerawong/AP hide caption
FDA warns that smoking cigarettes causes Type 2 diabetes, which raises blood sugar, among other serious health risks. U.S. Food and Drug Administration hide caption
Airway-irritating acetals seem to form in some types of vape juice even without heat, researchers find — likely a reaction between the alcohol and aldehydes in the liquid. Gabby Jones/Bloomberg via Getty Images hide caption
Netflix said future shows aimed at its younger audiences will not depict smoking or e-cigarette use unless it is "essential." The streaming content giant also says information about smoking will be included as part of its ratings. Matt Rourke/AP hide caption
The disclosure of millions of once-secret tobacco industry documents — which are now readily searchable online — has opened a window into Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell's interactions with tobacco executives and lobbyists. Alvaro Tapia Hidalgo for NPR hide caption
Dramatic decreases in deaths from lung cancer among African-Americans were particularly notable, according to the American Cancer Society. Siri Stafford/Getty Images hide caption
A British study found that people who used e-cigarettes to quit smoking were more successful than those who tried nicotine patches and gum. Dan Kitwood/Getty Images hide caption
"There's a certain notion that e-cigarettes are harmless," says Dr. Paul Ndunda, an assistant professor at the School of Medicine at the University of Kansas in Wichita. "But ... while they're less harmful than normal cigarettes, their use still comes with risks." RyanJLane/Getty Images hide caption