Rarity, I hope you’re proud advertising that junk. Thank you Rarity for your services to Ponykind. What will you tell your children when they think it’s cool to smoke because they saw this?

I always liked the idea of Friendship is Magic taking place in an old timey decade. 70s and 80s doesnt count, I want older then those.

I would like to set MLP in the 30s esque world in an AU.

People were certainly aware of the harmful effects of smoking in the 1940s. The Nazi Party in particular promoted a very strong anti-smoking message, and many Nazi-affiliated doctors were denouncing it because of the health effects they were seeing. Indeed, the three faschist leaders of the time; Hitler, Mussolini and Franco, were all non-smokers.
 
That being said though, if someone smokes and they don’t want to stop, don’t fucking harass them about it.

@MetaFour  
According to a little bit of research, you’re right. People suspected the harmful effects of smoking tobacco in the 1940s, believed it in the 1950s, and it was fully tested by 1960.
 
So when this advertisement was around, they knew that it was dangerous.

@Background Pony #118A  
It makes more sense if you read it as “Ours will screw up your throat, but the competition will do it even worse!” Still, cigarette companies could get away with a lot of blatant BS back in the day. They have to be sneakier now.

Pretty sure smoking does the exact opposite of guarding against throat-scratch.