BRITAIN HAS led the world by halving smoking-related deaths in the past 25 years, mirroring a halving in our consumption of tobacco, according to research by a senior Oxford scientist. But Richard Peto, professor of medical statistics at the University of Oxford, warned that smoking remains the major distinguishing factor in the mortality of people in different social classes. ...

"The percentage of children who bought cigarettes and alcohol was much higher than we expected, but even more surprising was the level of detail with which the children mimicked the use of these products." By Dartmouth Medical School, Children form attitudes about smoking and drinking at a very young age, picking up many cues about cigarettes and alcohol from their parents, according to a behavioral study conducted at Dartmouth. The results, published in the September 5 Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, demonstrate that preschool-aged children already have social cognitive scripts of adult social life where alcohol and tobacco use play central roles. ...

If you're like most people, you probably didn't know that May 31 was World No Smoking Day. But that Thursday, as you sat at your desk and stared at your computer, anti-smoking activists all over the world were getting together and trumpeting their cause. Clerics in Egypt issued an edict stating that smoking violates the rules of Islam. The authorities in Lesotho initiated a ban on smoking in all government buildings and vehicles. ...

It has been known for some time that the current FTC tests for tar and nicotine were inadequate. Following are excerpts from the Washington Post story on the FTC's plan to improve those tests: The Federal Trade Commission announced plans yesterday to revamp its long-criticized system for measuring tar and nicotine in cigarettes to better reflect the varied ways that people smoke. ...

Raising price seen as most effective way to cut smoking-related deaths What's the single most effective way of preventing deaths from smoking? Hike the price of cigarettes, new research says. Raising the tax on cigarettes could avert between 5 million and 16 million tobacco-related deaths worldwide in the coming years, according to a study in the September issue of Nicotine & Tobacco Research. ...

This "Privileged and Confidential" 2000 Philip Morris document was generated during PM's Regulatory Strategy Project , an effort the company began in 1999 to try and enact Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulations on the company's own terms. The document lists what PM terms "sensible" FDA regulations. The document is heavily edited by John Holleran of Philip Morris Management's Legal Department. The "Quotes" section (below) contains the document transcribed as it was originally written, without the annotations ...

Inside the restricted laboratory compound on the south coast of England, five senior scientists for B.A.T. Industries, the world's second-biggest cigarette maker, were devising ways to make it harder for people to quit smoking. At the start of the ``Brainstorming'' session on April 11, 1980, Dr. Robin A. Crellin, the team research leader, offered an insight. ``B.A.T. should learn to look at itself as a drug company,'' he said, ``rather than a tobacco company.'' ...

Statements on nicotine from internal files of Brown & Williamson Tobacco Corp. and other affiliates of the British conglomerate, B.A.T. Industries PLC made public in state lawsuits against cigarette makers: ...

Study finds NYers haven't kicked habit In the shadow of the Chrysler building, amid the crowds and heightened police presence outside Grand Central Terminal, Keith Rutsky lit up a cigarette last week and took a long drag. ...

Tobacco use is the leading preventable cause of death in the United States. Bidis are small, brown, hand-rolled cigarettes primarily made in India and other southeast Asian countries (1) consisting of tobacco wrapped in a tendu or temburni leaf (Diospyros melanoxylon). In the United States, bidis are purchased for $1.50-$4.00 for one package of 20 and are available in different flavors (e.g., cherry, chocolate, and mango). Anecdotal reports indicate that bidi use was first observed during the mid-1990s and seems to be widespread among youth and racial/ethnic minority adolescents. This report summarizes preliminary data collected from a convenience sample of adolescents surveyed during March and early April 1999 in Massachusetts on the prevalence of bidi use among urban youth; these data indicate that of 642 youth surveyed, 40% had smoked bidis at least once during their lifetimes and 16% were current bidi smokers. ...