Pete Burr, tobacco analyst for the government's Foreign Agricultural Service, said drops in exports are occurring mostly to Europe, possibly because U.S. companies are opening plants in Eastern Europe. Most export markets, particularly Japan, remain strong, Burr said. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says smoking among young adults, age 18 to 24, has been rising, for the first time, to the level of those age 25 to 44. High school smoking rates are even higher. More Women Smoking Samira Asma, an international analyst at the centers, said smokers are dying younger and women now tend to take up smoking more than men both in developed and developing countries.
Tobacco companies say price increases are almost exclusively responsible for the declines.
He said RJR is responding to the drop by pursuing the 75 percent of the market it doesn't have. John Banzhaf, head of Action on Smoking, says smoking restrictions are the major reason for the U.S. decline. The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.