Archeological records show that tobacco was first used for ceremonial purposes by indigenous North Americans over 2,000 years ago. It began to spread to the rest of the world in the 1500’s after the Spanish arrived in the New World. More recently, commercial interests added chemicals and addictive qualities to tobacco.

 

SMOKE ALARM tells the story of tobacco, both ceremonial and commercial, from its beginnings to the global crisis it presents today. We’ll chronicle its use in popular culture, and visit tribal elders in their ancestral lands, hookah bars in Marrakesh, cigar factories in Cuba, smoke filled rooms in Moscow…  in other words, portray the use of tobacco in all its forms all over the world. We’ll see its effects, presented by scientists and researchers in all its graphic forms. And we’ll hear about solutions, from moving the addicted down the scale on the “continuum of risk”, to a world where tobacco’s only use is as it was 2,000 years ago. Smoke Alarm is supported by a generous grant from the Global Acton To End Smoking Foundation.