Have You Noticed Smoking Is Making a Comeback? I Hate That. I Love That. | Opinion

USA TODAY: I know smoking is bad for my health. We all know that. So why is it making a comeback?

The sight of snuffed cigarette butts in an ashtray might feel jarringly anachronistic these days, given successful efforts to curtail the smelly act for decades.

Nonetheless, we're edging toward a resurgence, at least in popular culture, of the classic combustion of an old-school cigarette, even if the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention assures us rates aren’t yet increasing. Unfortunately, I’ve fallen into the quiet resurgence.

I’m a 46-year-old diabetic who tries to be healthy, yet after quitting 20 years ago, I find myself back in the alley occasionally (always shamefully) puffing as I hold pleasure and consequence in the same breath. My friends call it nostalgia. I think it's deeper – a defiant exhale of the angst and authenticity I crave in an uncertain world. 

The historical canon of smoking is well-documented from early 20th century glamour and association with sophistication, rebellion and artistic freedom – see flappers, film noir, World War II soldiers, the Beat Generation, the Marlboro Man and Bob Dylan.

I grew up in the haze of the 1990s when smoking wasn’t just a habit, it was a personality – raw and rebellious – butts smeared with Courtney Love’s red lipstick, the thrift-store fantasy of "Reality Bites," the sultry detachment of Mia Wallace in "Pulp Fiction." 

…

Smoking offers a palpable pause, a singular moment of physical presence in an existence mediated by the ever-present pressure of political machinations. And when those threats feel ambient and involuntary, smoking is a sensory language all its own, where the health consequences almost fade to black (like my lungs) as I relish each tantalizing feature of personal agency.

Read the whole article here | Written by Andrea Javor, Opinion contributor | Undated

Zigarette als Statussymbol: Wie Rauchen wieder cool wurde

MONOPOL: Stars von heute rauchen wieder Kette, fast wie James Dean und Co. in den 50ern. Risiken hin oder her, die Kippe ist zurück in der Popkultur - oder war sie nie weg?

In einem weißen "Nova Cora"-Kleid von Vivienne Westwood, Pumps von Jimmy Choo und einer schlichten Schleppe sitzt Sängerin Charli XCX an einem Tisch der Trattoria Dalla in London. Soeben hat sie sich mit dem Drummer der Band The 1975 vermählt, und jetzt genießt sie erstmal - eine Zigarette.

Nichts Ungewöhnliches, die Britin raucht auf der Bühne, hat von Sängerin Rosalía zu ihrem Geburtstag einen Zigaretten-Blumenstrauß bekommen und auch bei ihrer Hochzeitsparty die Glimmstängel verteilt. Der Besitzer der Location Ellie's Bar erzählte später dem "Face Magazine", dass zehn Packungen Vogue Essence Bleue auf Silbertabletts bereitlagen.

Charli ist nicht die Einzige, die gern öffentlich raucht. Auch ihre Popstar-Kolleginnen greifen gerade sehr performativ zur Zigarette - sei es privat oder bei der Arbeit. Sängerin Addison Rae pafft im Musikvideo zu ihrem Song "Aquamarine" zwei Kippen gleichzeitig. Sabrina Carpenter benutzt im Clip zu "Manchild"eine Gabel als Zigarettenhalter und soll während der Met Gala eine Zigarre genossen haben. Auch Dua Lipa kennt man mit Zigarette zwischen den Fingern, ebenso Lorde.

Rauchen wird gerade wieder salonfähig, nachdem viele dem ungesunden Laster gefühlt für immer abgeschworen hatten. Lange galt es schlicht als uncool und offensichtlich lebensgefährlich. Doch während vor etwa 20 Jahren die Schüler-VZ-Gruppe "Ich rauche nicht, denn es gibt coolere Wege zu sterben" eine der beliebtesten ihrer Art war, scheint es heute wieder ein akzeptierter Weg zu sein, diese Welt zu verlassen. » |Leonie Wessel | Freitag, 25. Juli 2025

NYT: Pop Culture Takes Up Smoking Again: From movies and TV shows to music, the habit is no longer taboo. It’s even being celebrated for the way it makes characters look cool or powerful. »

David Dimbleby: I Started Smoking in My 70s and Don’t Have a Social Life

THE TELEGRAPH: Despite his outwardly confident appearance, former Question Time host says he finds it difficult to talk to people

Despite appearing confident, David Dimbleby says: 'I’m not sociable at all'
David Dimbleby has revealed that he started smoking in his 70s to cope with “tense” sailing trips, as his wife said he is “really, really shy” and “doesn’t have any friends”.

The 83-year-old veteran broadcaster, best known for formerly presenting the BBC’s Question Time for 25 years, made the comments in an interview to discuss his new memoir.

The award-winning journalist has interviewed almost every British prime minister in contemporary history, anchored 10 consecutive general elections from 1979 to 2017, owned nine local newspapers and been a commentator for several major events - ranging from Richard Nixon's 1969 presidential visit to Princess Diana's funeral. However, in an interview with The Sunday Times Magazine, he admitted that he does not “have a social life” and that he took up smoking roll-ups just over a decade ago to help him relax when he takes his nephews sailing.

He spoke as his new memoir, Keep Talking: A Broadcasting Life, is published, but admitted he did not have anyone to celebrate with. “We don’t have people round,” he said. “I’m not sociable at all.” » | Gabriella Swerlng, Social and Religious Affairs Editor | Saturday, October 22, 2022

Good for you, Mr Dimbleby! Enjoy your smokes! — © Mark Alexander

How Tobacco Prohibition Plunged Australia into Gang Wars

Dec 15, 2025 | Will Kingston, Chris Snowdon and Tom Slater discuss the firebombings of tobacconists in Australia.

What Is Everyone Talking About This Week: (Whisper It) Is Smoking Back?

COUNTRY LIFE: You’d be forgiven for thinking that young people are a bunch of mopes, who refuse to drink, go dancing or have sex and are ruining British nightlife for all — but you're wrong, says Will Hosie.

Listen to the media (not me, mind) and you’d be forgiven for thinking that young people are a bunch of mopes, who refuse to drink, go dancing or have sex and are ruining British nightlife for all. Rejoice, then, for the tide is turning. A recent book by Norwegian sociologist Willy Pedersen argues that binge drinking in one’s youth can improve career prospects. People have taken note: The Hart in Marylebone, is rammed every night.

Although there’s something to be said for correlation over causation — those who can afford a £7 pint have likely had a leg up in other parts of life — this hasn’t stopped columnists from extolling the virtues of hard living. ‘My generation,’ wrote former British Vogue editor Alexandra Schulman in the Mail on Sunday recently, ‘drank our way to the top.’ With pride, I daresay.

Teenagers addicted to vapes are now using cigarettes to wean themselves off'

They smoked, too — several packs a day. To the chagrin of doctors, nurses and vape lobbyists, the habit is back with a vengeance. Riding the success of her culture-lassoing album, West End Girl, Lily Allen graced the runway last month for 16Arlington sporting a glamorous Holly Golightly-style dress and the ultimate style accessory: a Vogue. » | Will Hosie | Monday, December 8, 2025

ITVX: Smoking to be banned for future generations in Wales as landmark bill voted through: People turning 18 from 2027 will never be able to legally buy cigarettes in Wales. / That's after the Senedd voted to pass a landmark Bill affecting anyone born on or after January 1, 2009. / From 2027, it will become illegal to sell tobacco to anyone who is 18 years old. »

MAJORCA DAILY BULLETIN: Last orders for smoking on bar and restaurant terraces in Spain: Government gets tough as tobacco prices increase again »

No wonder the far right is gaining in strength right across the continent (including in the UK). Politicians have lost all common sense. They sweat the little things whilst the continent is under existential threat from Russia! Are simple pleasures and fun to be outlawed for future generations now? These bans MUST FAIL. They will HAVE TO BE OVERTURNED! And these ridiculous politicians must be kicked out of office.

By the way, I write this as a non-smoker. As an ex-smoker to be precise. In fact, I notice that it is the tenth of December. That being the case, it is precisely THREE YEARS AND EIGHT MONTHS since I smoked my last cigarette. Naturally, as I had been a lifelong smoker, I am very proud of my achievement. In April, it will be exactly four years that I will be smoke-free.

However, smoking gave me years and years of pleasure so, just because I have quit, I do not expect the rest of the world to quit with me. I do not wish to deny others one of life’s greatest pleasures: smoking a fine cigarette, especially with a quality drink.

Were I to be in the position of doing so, there are many things in this world that I might consider banning, but that certainly would not be smoking a humble cigarette.

The western world is turning into a madhouse! — © Mark Alexander

Smoking - Anatomy of an Addiction Industry | DW Documentary | Reupload

Dec 13, 2024 | Smoking has an image problem, because everyone knows it can kill you. That’s why tobacco multinationals are increasingly focused on e-cigarettes, enticing consumers with bright colors and fruity flavors. The target group: young people.

The World Health Organization says smoking results in the death of eight million people every year. That’s one reason why you’ll now often hear tobacco companies promoting the switch to e-cigarettes, with claims that these are less harmful to our health.

It’s first and foremost young people who believe the industry’s promises, thereby taking the first step on the road to addiction. After all, nicotine is an addictive substance. And although it may taste better than tobacco, puffing on a vape is still going to get you hooked in precisely the same way as smoking a regular cigarette.

The film investigates the cynicism of an industry that not only accepts this, but also deliberately aims for it.

Big Nicotine - Anatomy of an Addiction Industry /TEMPS PRESENT / Laurent Burkhalter & Philippe Mach / 2024 / RTS Radio television Suisse


There is no doubt about it: smoking can kill. But so do many other things! When it comes to consumption, sugar is a case in point. How many people a year does sugar kill? Precise figures are unavailable, but Google has the following to say...

"While there is no single figure for the total number of deaths from all sugar consumption, studies show that sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) are linked to hundreds of thousands of deaths annually from related conditions like type 2 diabetes and heart disease. Recent research estimates that SSBs are linked to over 330,000 deaths per year globally. Sugar consumption is a significant factor in cardiovascular diseases and diabetes, which are leading causes of death worldwide.

This figure is an estimate of preventable deaths, suggesting how many fewer people would die if sugary drinks were not consumed at all, and it is based on links to specific diseases:

• 133,000 deaths from diabetes
• 45,000 deaths from cardiovascular (heart) disease
• 6,450 deaths from cancers

More recent research from January 2025 has suggested even higher figures, linking sugary drinks to over 330,000 deaths a year from type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease." — [Source: Google.]

Fact is this: If we gave up everything that could and does kill us, there'd be little left to consume and enjoy! We simply cannot get out of this life alive. — © Mark Alexander

How Cigarettes Took Over the World

Cigarettes were a prop for bored, scared and hungry soldiers in World War I and World War II.

Experts Urge UK to Ban Cigarette Filters to Protect Health and Environment

THE GUARDIAN: Researchers say filters do not reduce toxicant exposure and are major contributor to plastic waste crisis

Cigarette filters do not work and are a major source of plastic pollution that should be banned by the UK government, experts have said.

In an editorial in Addiction, the journal for the Society for the Study of Addiction, researchers argue that ministers should use a forthcoming tobacco and vapes bill to “ban filters in the interests of public health and the environment”.

“Cigarette filters were designed to give the false impression of safety,” said Dr Katherine East, associate professor in public health at Brighton and Sussex Medical School, who is lead author on the editorial.

“In reality, they do not reduce toxicant exposure and may even increase harm, because they lead people to inhale deeper and for longer and can embed harmful fibres and microplastics in the lungs. They are also a major contributor to the global plastic waste crisis.” » | Damien Gayle, Environment correspondent | Thursday, October 16, 2025

Why don’t these do-gooding killjoys just get bloody lost and let people get their kicks from life where they can? God only knows that these days there are all too few kicks for them to find. — © Mark Alexander

Italie : plus de 150 tonnes de cigarettes de contrebande ont été saisies dans une usine clandestine

LE FIGARO : Capable de produire environ 5000 cigarettes par minute, l’usine de 1600 m² est la plus grande jamais découverte, en Italie.

Plus de 150 tonnes de cigarettes de contrebande ont été saisies dans une usine clandestine - la plus grande jamais découverte en Italie - cachée dans un bunker souterrain près de Cassino (sud-est de Rome), a annoncé la police douanière italienne samedi. Plus de 7 millions de cigarettes par jour, soit environ 2,7 milliards par an, pouvaient être produites dans cette manufacture illégale de 1600 mètres carrés, selon les expertises techniques menées par les militaires de la Garde des finances d'Ancône. » | Par Le Figaro avec AFP | samedi 27 septembre 2025

Spain's New Smoking Law Plans Could Mean Big Changes for Travellers

EURO NEWS: Spain's new regulations would also cover the use of electronic cigarettes and vapes as the country moves to impose stricter controls on tobacco marketing and product distribution in a bid to boost public health.

Spain's coalition government has approved a draft bill restricting smoking in public places that could have a significant impact on travellers.

The proposed legislation will ban smoking and vaping in outdoor spaces, including sports venues, beaches, restaurant and bar terraces.

"We'll always put public health ahead of private interests," Spain’s health minister Monica Garcia told reporters. "Everyone has a right to breathe clean air and live longer and better lives."

The proposed measures have drawn opposition from restaurant and bar owners, who say Spain's year-round outdoor dining culture is boosted significantly by customers who smoke.

Smoking indoors has been prohibited since 2011. » | Rebecca Ann-Hughes | Thursday, September 11, 2025

What is there about socialist governments that they always want to curtail people’s rights and freedoms? Is there something in socialists’ DNA, or something? Each European nation seems to be losing all sense of la dolce vita ! — © Mark Alexander

Pop Culture Takes Up Smoking Again

THE NEW YORK TIMES: From movies and TV shows to music, the habit is no longer taboo. It’s even being celebrated for the way it makes characters look cool or powerful.

In the new romantic dramedy “Materialists,” about 21st-century dating, Dakota Johnson loves cigarettes.

Playing Lucy, a New York matchmaker, she’s puffing when she gossips with a pal during a work party. Later, she holds a lighted cigarette near her face while flirting with an ex. There’s no hand-wringing over her smoking. She’s just a smoker. And she’s wildly on trend. That’s because, at least in the world of entertainment, cigarettes are once again cool.

“Materialists” is just the tip of the ash. The musicians Addison Rae and Lorde both mention smoking in recent singles. The stars of “The Bear” are smokers on- and offscreen. The “Housewives” count many among their ranks, and the Bravo enterprise recently had a viral moment thanks to smoking. Tim Robinson and Paul Rudd smoke in the big-screen comedy “Friendship,” while the chic Seema (Sarita Choudhury) on the series “And Just Like That” does as well. In the kitschy video for her track “Manchild” Sabrina Carpenter uses a fork as a cigarette holder. Even Beyoncé has lit up onstage during her Cowboy Carter Tour. In one instance, she throws the cigarette on a piano, which artfully ignites as she performs “Ya Ya.” If Beyoncé is doing it, you know it’s reached the upper echelon of culture. » | Esther Zuckerman | Wednesday, June 11, 2025

The Allure of Smoking Rises Again: The cool factor of cigarettes has proved hard to shake. »

Is smoking cool again?: Attempts to stamp out cigarettes could be having unintended consequences »

More Doctors Smoke Camels Than Any Other Cigarette

Nov 11, 2006 | 1949 TV commercial from Camel cigarettes.

The verdict is CLEAR: Camels are the cigarettes to smoke if you want to remain healthy. Doctors know best! 😂 — © Mark Alexander

The Marlboro Cigarette Man Was Shocked When This Happened In 1964

Sep 10, 2025

Just for the Sheer Hell of It! More Doctors Smoke Camels Than Any Other Cigarette

TV commercial from Camel cigarettes. You can order a More Doctors Smoke Camels

What life was like before paranoia set in, before people expected to live as long as Methuselah. (That includes people like Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping.) 😂 — © Mark Alexander

Smoking - Anatomy of an Addiction Industry | DW Documentary | Reupload

Dec 13, 2024 | Smoking has an image problem, because everyone knows: it can kill you. That’s why tobacco multinationals are increasingly focused on e-cigarettes, enticing consumers with bright colors and fruity flavors. The target group: young people.

The World Health Organization says smoking results in the death of eight million people every year. That’s one reason why you’ll now often hear tobacco companies promoting the switch to e-cigarettes, with claims that these are less harmful to our health. It’s first and foremost young people who believe the industry’s promises, thereby taking the first step on the road to addiction. After all, nicotine is an addictive substance. And although it may taste better than tobacco, puffing on a vape is still going to get you hooked in precisely the same way as smoking a regular cigarette. The film investigates the cynicism of an industry that not only accepts this, but also deliberately aims for it.

Big Nicotine - Anatomy of an Addiction Industry /TEMPS PRESENT / Laurent Burkhalter & Philippe Mach / 2024 / RTS Radio television Suisse

Young Vape Users Three Times As Likely to Start Smoking, Study Finds

THE GUARDIAN: Review warns e-cigarettes could act as gateway to smoking and are also linked to higher asthma and other health risks

Young people who vape are three times as likely to start smoking, develop asthma and have poor mental health as those who do not, according to a study that lays bare the health impacts of e-cigarettes.

Vaping among young people is consistently linked to later smoking, according to the largest umbrella review of all the evidence on youth vaping, which warns that e-cigarettes could act as a gateway.

The researchers found associations with other harmful consequences including asthma, cough, injuries and mental ill health, as well as possible risks of respiratory disease, headaches, poor oral health and substance use. » | Rachel Hall | Tuesday, August 19, 2025

Starmer’s generational smoking ban is a pipe dream. He’s got no more chance of making a success of it than he has of stopping burglaries or supermarket theft. We do not have enough police to enforce such a smoking ban.

My regular visitors will be aware of the fact that I have always stated that encouraging vaping to replace smoking regular cigarettes will only lead to more smokers of regular cigarettes down the line. Now, it seems, researchers have caught up. It really was only common sense from the very start.

From the start, it would have been better if governments had not encouraged vaping to replace smoking. Had they left things alone, the smoking rate had been coming down quite drastically anyway. That trend has been put into reverse now. Meddlesome is as meddlesome does! — © Mark Alexander

Von "The Bear" bis Charli XCX: Warum Rauchen wieder cool ist

WATSON: Während Frankreich das Rauchen im öffentlichen Raum verbietet, zünden sich anderswo wieder alle genüsslich eine an. Auf Laufstegen, in Serien und auf Instagram ist die Kippe zurück. Ein Symbol für Coolness. Und ein Spiegel unserer Zeit.

Ausgerechnet Frankreich, das Land, das uns Existenzialismus, Savoir-vivre und das Bild des rauchenden Intellektuellen im Café geschenkt hat, hat das Rauchen an öffentlichen Orten seit Kurzem verboten. Parks, Strände, öffentliche Plätze – alles rauchfrei.

Ein Land, in dem man sich jahrzehntelang fragte, ob die Zigarette nicht vielleicht doch ein Grundrecht sei, zieht plötzlich die Reißleine und steht damit so herrlich windschief im Weltgeschehen, dass man das Ganze als eine Dialektik des Schicksals begreifen muss. Und vielleicht als Teil der Erklärung.

Kate Moss, Carrie Bradshaw und die Zigarette

Denn die Zigarette ist zurück. Auf Laufstegen, in Musikvideos, auf Instagram. Sie drängelt sich dieser Tage so unverschämt selbstbewusst in den Vordergrund wie der Kassenwart des Fördervereins bei der Abiverleihung meiner Schwester. Warum nur?

Vielleicht muss man voranstellen, dass die Zigarette nie wirklich weg war. Sie hat sich nur versteckt. Sie ist leiser geworden, schüchtern. In den 90ern und frühen 2000ern war sie noch allgegenwärtig: Kate Moss mit einer Kippe im Mundwinkel, Carrie Bradshaw, die rauchend vor ihrem Laptop sitzt. Ikonen einer Zeit, in der Rauchen zum guten Ton der Popkultur gehörte. » | Sven Fröhlich | Mittwoch, 12. August 2025

THE OUTCOME: IS SMOKING COOL AGAIN? THE DATA INDICATES MAYBE. : Cigarette sales are up across the board, even among Gen Z consumers, defying efforts to curb smoking among young people. »

THE NEW YORK TIMES: Pop Culture Takes Up Smoking Again: From movies and TV shows to music, the habit is no longer taboo. It’s even being celebrated for the way it makes characters look cool or powerful. »

Obschon ich seit mehr als drei Jahren rauchfrei bin, ich habe schöne Erinnerungen von Zeiten, in denen man eine Zigarette genießen konnte in einem Café mit einer Tasse Kaffee und in einem feinen Restaurant vor der Mahlzeit mit einem Aperitif und nach der Mahlzeit mit einer Tasse Kaffee und wenn möglich mit einem Glas Cognac. Zigarren-Raucher konnten das Rauchen einer Zigarre genießen.

Dann kamen die Spielverderber, die Weltverbesserer, die Intoleranten! Plötzlich war es Schluß mit Spaß, Vergnügen und Freude.

Einmal, glaubte ich, daß die Franzosen uns retten würden. Leider habe ich mich geirrt! Die Franzosen sind gleichermaßen woke geworden. So woke, daß sie neuerdings das Rauchen auch noch sogar auf dem Strand verbieten!

Falls die Franzosen glauben, daß Franzosen gesünder werden durch diese Gesetze und Maßnahmen, dann irren sie sich wirklich, denn heutzutage bekommen Leute ihren Spaß nicht von der bescheidenen Zigarette, sondern von Drogen, welche viel ungesünder und tödlicher sind. — © Mark Alexander

Quitting Smoking

MARK ALEXANDER: I have just realised something: It’s August 10th. As I quit smoking on April 10th 2022, and as I haven’t smoked anything since, that means that three years and four months have past by since enjoying the pleasure of smoking my last cigarette. I haven’t cheated even once.

These days, I come into contact with no smokers at all. None whatsoever! I can’t remember the day when I last smelt a smoker’s burning cigarette. Why? Because I can’t think of anyone I know who smokes anymore. The people I know are either people who have never smoked or people who have given up the pleasurable habit. So it grieves me to have to report that I have almost forgotten what the smell of a burning cigarette is like.

Many people would probably be joyful about this. I am not. I used to love the smell of fresh cigarette and cigar smoke. To me, it was redolent of conviviality. To this day, the sight of a handsome man exhaling smoke is a joy to behold.

Joyless wonders may well be proud of their achievements in creating a joyless world. I am not. To me, the pleasures of life have been destroyed. And fact is: people are no healthier today as a result of the onslaught of killjoys. In fact, if anything, they are unhealthier. These days people get their kicks from different unhealthy habits. But healthier they are not.

© Mark Alexander
All Rights Reserved

Third of UK Teenagers Who Vape Will Go On to Start Smoking, Research Shows

THE GUARDIAN: Findings suggest e-cigarettes increasingly act as ‘gateway’ to nicotine for children, undermining earlier falling rates

A third of UK teenagers who vape will go on to start smoking tobacco, research shows, meaning they are as likely to smoke as their peers were in the 1970s.

A long-term intergenerational study found that the likelihood of starting to smoke among people aged 17 in 2018 was about 1.5% if they did not vape compared with 33% if they did.

The findings suggest that e-cigarettes are increasingly acting as a “gateway” to nicotine cigarettes for children, undermining falling rates of teen smoking over the past 50 years. » | Rachel Hall | Tuesday, July 29, 2025

This is what I have been saying all along. It doesn’t take a genius to figure this out. Real cigarettes are often super unappealing to young children—when I was a child, I couldn’t bear the smell of smoke and avoided people smoking!—but those vapes are a different story altogether. They come in all manner of appealing flavours—strawberry, apricot, blackcurrant, chocolate, etc.—so how would they not be appealing to children. Once children get into the habit of enjoying puffing away on an e-cigarette, when they mature, they will naturally be tempted to graduate to the real thing: cigarettes. Smoking is here to stay! And that killjoy Starmer will never be able to enforce a generational smoking ban. For starters, who on earth is going to be able to police it? Our police forces can’t control theft from supermarkets, still less will they ever be able to enforce a smoking ban. – © Mark Alexander

Smoke Signals: From Charli XCX’s Nuptials to The Bear, Cigarettes Are Everywhere

THE GUARDIAN: Fags are back in fashion, as a ‘soft rebellion’ at weddings, on stage and on screen, despite awareness of the cancer risk

Coffee and chocolates traditionally signal the end of a meal at a wedding. But now many couples are ditching the sweet stuff and doling out cigarettes instead. Bowls and trays piled high with fags have become the new party favour.

Last weekend, guests at Charli xcx’s nuptials were served Vogue Essence Bleue slim cigarettes from silver trays, and social media is peppered with wedding receptions featuring tiered dessert stands laden with smoking paraphernalia and dedicated “smoking stations”.

It can be an expensive addition to any wedding bill, considering the average cost for a packet of 20 cigarettes is now £14.

Many modern brides take their inspiration from Mary-Kate Olsen, the child star turned fashion designer for The Row. In 2015, Olsen doled out mini bowls of cigarettes during her wedding to her now ex-husband Olivier Sarkozy. » | Chloe Mac Donnell | Friday, July 25, 2025

Sanity returns, pleasure is back! Killjoys eat you hearts out! Starmer! Time to ditch your nanny-state, anti-smoking policies and bans! People want to ditch their straightjackets and have some enjoyment again. Pleasure is in fashion again. It had to happen. It just did. – © Mark Alexander