Others, such as Charles C. Finch, executive director of America's Golden Leaf Tobacco Growers Information Committee, argue that peer pressure rather than tobacco advertising drivers teenagers to smoke.

"Farmers have always discouraged teenage and underage smoking just as the tobacco companies have. We believe that to smoke is a decision made by mature and consenting adults. Advertisements don't make people buy things. I see a lot of cereal advertisements, and that doesn't make me buy cereal. I think that it is peer pressure that leads more teens to smoke, and the regulation of that is something best left to the parents," says Finch.

Finch also disagrees with those who say laws banning the sale of cigarettes to minors are not properly enforced, saying, "It's a known fact that it's easier to buy drugs than it is to buy cigarettes."

Phillip Morris USA also announced initiatives in June designed to curb the problem of teenage smoking. It proposed measures including discontinuing free cigarrette samples, placing warning labels on their products, cautioning retailers against selling to minors, and pulling their merchandise from retailers who are known to sell to minors.

The Tobacco Institute, as well as tobacco companies were given the opportunity to respond, but all had policies prohibiting them from commenting to student newspapers.

Smoking at Harvard

At Harvard as well as at other universities, very few people develop the habit of smoking. Most smokers begin smoking in their early teens and continue their habit through college.

"I smoked since I was 13. I didn't grow up in this kind of freaky environment that we have in the East Coast. Where I'm from a lost of kids smoke. I started smoking then, and I don't see a reason to quit now," says William A. Blacken-ship '96, who says he smokes two packs a day.

While it is unlikely that tobacco advertisements or peer pressure will make many Harvard students take up the habit of smoking. Grammarossa points out that college is often a place where pre-existing smoking habits are enforced by peer groups that share the habit. Smoking is very much a social activity, she says.

"A lot of the people I've seen who smoke a little bit socially will have a couple beers and see everyone else smoking and then think 'Oh, cool, I'II just have a cigarette too,'" says Ingrid M. Anderson '98.

According to the Crimson phone poll, the vast majority (57 percent) of Harvard students chose the category of pure enjoyment as best describing the reason why they smoked. This was followed by social pressure (13 percent); other, which includes drunkenness and curiosity (12 percent); the desire to relieve stress (II percent); and habit (7 percent).

However, these categories do not fully include the social aspect of smoking, since social relations can be included in both the simple enjoyment and social pressure categories.

"For me I can say it's a social thing. That's the reason I started. A bunch of my friends smoke so I picked it up from them. Honestly, I think that this is the case for most people at Harvard. Smoking is something which I generally see at parties and at the Grille," said Anatole K. Kleiner '98, who says he is an occasional smoker.

Smoking seems to play a significant role in Harvard life. Groups of smokers can be seen in such places as House courtyards, the Crimson Sports Grille and outside Sever Hall.

According to The Crimson's phone poll of 340 Harvard students, 37 percent said they had used some nicotine-containing product within the past year. Roughly three quarters of those who had used nicotine fit into the category of the occasional smoker, someone who indulges in one or two cigarettes on weekends or a few cigars each year to celebrate special occasions. The remaining quarter of nicotine users are regular smokers, those who smoke more than 10 cigarettes a week.