Episode
Cigarettes Are Cool Again and Health Advocates are Worried
- Podcast
- KQED's Forum
- Published
- Jun 17, 2026
- Duration seconds
- 3290
- Processing state
not_requested
Actions
POST https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/kqed-s-forum-910728/episodes/cigarettes-are-cool-again-and-health-advocates-are-worried/transcription-requests
Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode.GET https://stenobird.com/podcast/kqed-s-forum-910728/cigarettes-are-cool-again-and-health-advocates-are-worried.md
Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource.
Summary
Cigarettes are cool again…especially with GenZ. Despite decades of anti-smoking campaigns, you’re likely to see more young people smoking in films, at bars, on street corners, and in social media feeds. Researchers tie the trend to Y2K nostalgia, soft nihilism, and a turn away from “clean girl” wellness culture. Actual youth smoking rates are still at historic lows, but we’ll explore how glamorization complicates the public health conversation around nicotine. Guests: Pamela Ling, professor of medicine, UCSF; Ling studies the tobacco industry marketing strategies targeting young adults, women and other high risk populations Kevin Truong, business editor, The San Francisco Standard; Truong co-wrote the piece "They Know It Kills You. Gen Z is Smoking Cigarettes Anyway" Degen Pener, journalist; Pener wrote the piece "Cigarettes Get a Sequel: Hollywood's 'Cool' Habit Is Back" Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices