Pubdate: Fri, 26 Feb 1999 Source: United Press International Copyright: 1999 United Press International Feedback: http://www.sciencenews.org/sn_forms/sn_ctact.htm CIGARS MAY GET WARNING LABELS WASHINGTON, - The Surgeon General of the United States is calling for warning labels on cigars equal to those on cigarettes, in the wake of reports that use of the stogies by teens is on the increase. A pair of reports was issued today by the Office of the Inspector General of the Department of Health and Human Services. In one, a survey of high school and college students found more than a third had smoked a cigar in the previous month, and considered them more socially acceptable than cigarettes or chewing tobacco. The youths were easily able to recall television shows, movies and celebrities associated with cigar smoking. Saying ``There is no safe form of tobacco,'' Surgeon General Dr. David Satcher, in one report, said, ``We should require the same sort of warning labels on cigars that we already require on packages of cigarettes and spit tobacco. The absence of such a warning on cigars could lead consumers to erroneously conclude that cigars do not carry health risks.'' June Gibbs Brown, the inspector general of HHS, said they used 18 focus groups involving 227 youngsters of differing backgrounds to explore patterns of cigar use among their peers. There were 13 groups of high school students, four of junior high students and one of college students. Brown said they found more than one third of the participants had smoked a cigar within the past 30 days, and half said they expected to be cigar users within five years. Brown says, ``The findings are of profound concern and require our immediate action to inform the public about health risks associated with cigar smoking.'' Although the sale of tobacco to minors is illegal in all 50 states, enforcement of cigar sales is lax, and most states are unaware of the problem. The students report they buy the cigars at gas stations and convenience stores, and sometimes hollow out the cigars and load them with marijuana to get a better high. They typically smoke them at parties, in conjunction with drinking. The problem appears to be greater among urban schools, says the inspector general's report. The HHS study was prompted by a 1998 report from the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention showing a high level of risk for cancer of the lungs, larynx, mouth and esophagus from smoking cigars. The inspector general's report says that cigars appear to be popular because they are easier to get than cigarettes or chewing tobacco. Federal laws do not require manufacturers to report their ingredients, and unlike other tobacco products, there are no radio or television advertising regulations. - --- MAP posted-by: Rich O'Grady