If I had the power to erase one invention from human history, it would be the cigarette. Though it may seem small and unassuming, the cigarette has left behind an enormous trail of suffering, addiction, and preventable death.

A Short History of the Cigarette

Tobacco itself has been cultivated for thousands of years. Indigenous peoples in the Americas used it in spiritual and medicinal practices long before European explorers brought it back to Europe in the 16th century. For centuries, tobacco was consumed in pipes, cigars, and snuff.

The modern cigarette—finely cut tobacco wrapped in paper—didn’t become widespread until the late 19th century. The turning point came with the invention of the cigarette-rolling machine in the 1880s, which allowed mass production at low cost. Cigarettes quickly transformed from a niche luxury to a cheap, accessible habit.

By the early 20th century, tobacco companies were aggressively marketing cigarettes as fashionable and even healthy. During both World Wars, soldiers were issued cigarettes as part of their rations, further fueling demand. What was once a novelty became a global industry.

From Widespread Popularity to Global Epidemic

The spread of cigarettes in the 20th century was staggering. In the U.S., per-capita cigarette consumption skyrocketed from about 50 cigarettes a year in 1900 to over 4,000 by the 1960s. Hollywood films glamorized smoking, doctors appeared in advertisements endorsing certain brands, and tobacco companies embedded themselves in culture and politics.

By the time medical science began definitively linking cigarettes to lung cancer, emphysema, and heart disease in the mid-20th century, billions of people worldwide were already addicted. Despite countless public health campaigns, stricter regulations, and warning labels, smoking remains widespread today, with the World Health Organization estimating more than one billion smokers globally.

The Harmful Legacy

The harm caused by cigarettes is staggering. According to the WHO, tobacco kills more than 8 million people every year—over 7 million from direct use and another 1.3 million from secondhand smoke exposure. Smoking is the leading cause of preventable death worldwide, linked not only to cancer but also to strokes, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and cardiovascular disease.

Beyond health, cigarettes have left scars on the environment. Tobacco farming contributes to deforestation, pesticide pollution, and soil depletion. And cigarette butts—billions of them discarded every day—are among the most common forms of plastic waste, leaching toxins into waterways and ecosystems.

Why I Would Uninvent Cigarettes

While many inventions have unintended side effects, cigarettes stand out because they provide no real benefit beyond fleeting stimulation. Unlike medicine, technology, or even indulgences like alcohol, cigarettes deliver addiction and disease without adding meaningful value to human life.

If cigarettes had never been invented, millions of families would have been spared the pain of losing loved ones too soon. Our environment would be cleaner, our healthcare systems less burdened, and generations healthier. In many ways, uninventing cigarettes would undo one of humanity’s most self-destructive mistakes.