Final answer:
Due to growing support for smoking bans globally and health regulations, smokers will increasingly struggle to find places to smoke. These efforts include educational programs, health warnings, taxes, and bans in public spaces. So the correct option is A.
Step-by-step explanation:
Smokers will soon find it increasingly difficult to locate places where they can smoke due to growing support for smoking bans. This trend over the first decade and a half of the 21st century is in response to the harmful effects of smoking on health, as publicized by large-scale observational studies and reports by health organizations like the U.S. Surgeon General. Countries around the world, including Bhutan and Ireland, have led the way in introducing regulations to prohibit smoking in enclosed spaces and public places. Similar actions have been taken by cities such as Beijing. These measures are coupled with educational programs, health warnings on cigarette packaging, and increased taxes on tobacco products - known as 'sin taxes'. These taxes are meant to discourage behavior that is considered harmful and to offset healthcare costs related to smoking.
The shortage of tobacco, smoking being a federal crime, or cigarettes no longer being produced are not the reasons for the increased difficulty in finding places to smoke; instead, it is the concerted effort of governments worldwide to protect public health. While these actions may not have a significant impact on current tobacco users because tobacco is an inelastic product, the longer-term impacts could be substantial in reducing new smokers and exposure to secondhand smoke.
The effectiveness of smoking bans is supported by statistics from health organizations and studies, including those revealing the life expectancy of regular smokers being about 10 years less than non-smokers. These health initiatives have resulted in fewer public places where smoking is allowed, making it more challenging for smokers to find locations to smoke legally and safely. Overall, these measures reflect a global shift towards promoting a smoke-free environment.