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The first time I ever smoked a cigarette, I was in fifth grade, at a sleepover. My friend stole a Marlboro from her mother’s purse and eight of us girls put it up to our lips in her back yard in the middle of the night. By the time I reached high school, some of my friends had already gotten hooked. They showed off by puffing smoke rings and pointing out subliminal pictures hidden on a pack of Camel Lights.

But in recent years, the coolness of smoking has faded away, in one of the most profound cultural changes of our generation. Today, only 19 percent of Americans smoke, compared to 42 percent in 1965, when the surgeon general declared the habit deadly. . . .

Luckily for Uruguay, a number of allies have stepped in to help. The World Health Organization, which promoted a global anti-tobacco treaty that 173 countries have ratified, has issued strong statements in support. And New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s philanthropic foundation is helping Uruguay pay legal bills to fight PMI. “There is a commitment to see Uruguay win,” said Dr. Kelly Henning, director of public health programs at Bloomberg Philanthropies. “We don’t want countries to think they can’t put in place measures to protect their citizens against the harms of tobacco.”

It is fitting that America, birthplace of the Marlboro Man, is helping other countries kick the habit.

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