Much of the emphasis of the proposed FDA smoking regulations concerns children. And for good reason.
Most new smokers are young.
Tobacco representatives deny that the industry markets to kids, but public-health experts disagree. The Clinton administration has set a goal of reducing youth smoking by 50 percent in seven years. The California researchers wanted to study kids at the first stage of the process that leads to smoking, says study co-author John Pierce, professor of cancer research at the University of California at San Diego. Thus, the researchers studied only children who had never puffed on a cigarette. These youths were asked if they would smoke a cigarette that was offered them by a best friend.