I don't know where you're from, but in place where I live, I wouldn't say that things is getting worse here. I would say that significantly less people smoke nowadays than it was 15-20 years ago. It's not just people's mindset is changing, but it's also getting too expensive to smoke.
But on the other hand more people starting to smoke things like IQOS, vapes and weed also. Not sure what is more harmful, but trends is changing. Curreent generation ternagers don't even look at these old school cigarettes.
We are in the same scenario, back when I was a kid, I remember smelling cigarettes in the morning just when I woke up and no matter where you hang out, they always smoke as if it is their food or something but everything changes when those people died and they were diagnosed with some serious diseases before they died caused by their chain-type way of smoking. That's gonna happen when you are addicted to something and you have the means to do it, you keep doing it until your body gives up on you. As of now, no one in this home is a smoker and I'm happy with that and satisfied.
Yes, its the same in my country, smoking has become less and less, it is illegal to smoke
inside like bars, shops and restaurants, and everyone complys with that.
Smoking cigarets has also become very expensive, I think the big manufacturers have
moved on to other markets such as where the OP is and is a reason why its on the increase.
Vapes have filled the void left by cigarets and are now just as addictive which creates
another problem waiting to be fixed in the future.
Though, I believe there is something going on with vapers and legislation the governments are having on them... Here in the West there seems to be some coordinated push to outlaw and make vapers unavailable for most people. In the United States there has been some studies which suggest valing can be even more harmful to people than smoking cigarettes, which is quite concerning.
Here in my country there has not been any scientific study being done on the effect of those products when compared to normal tobacco, so I assume it was something to do with the easy access some teens had to buy and consume those products.
If we get a little bit more into the realm of conspiracy theories, we could even argue the tobacco industry and the CEOs of those companies though there was a real possibly of Lossing profits to the tendency of smokers to switch to vapers instead of continue to smoker tobacco, there could have been some lobbying behind the scenes to convince politicians to push for a ban on vapers and secure the hegemony of classical tobacco in the American continent. It sounds conspiratorial, but to me it would make enough sense for it to happen in the real life.