SOVIETS SEEM TO BE CLOSING THE SMOKING GAP WITH U.,S.

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP88-01314R000300600005-2
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 2
• Document Creation Date: December 16, 2016
• Document Release Date: October 13, 2004
• Sequence Number: 5
• Publication Date: February 21, 1975
• Content Type: NSPR

BALTIMORE SUN
21 FEB 1975
~' Approved For Release 004/10/ be CIA-RDP 1314FI000300600005-2
Soviets seem fo - closing
the smoking gap with. U.S.
By MICHAEL PARKS
Moscow-To the growing concern of
Soviet medical authorities, Russians are
smoking more now and enjoying it more.
Despite a concerted anti-smoking
campaign in Soviet schools over the last
six years and new bans on smoking in
many public places, cigarette consump-
tion has grown four times as rapidly as
the population since 1970
The Soviet Union's domestic ciga-
rette production came to about 375 bil
lion last year-enough for everyone
over 14 years old to smoke 100 packs a
year, even without Moscow's sizable im-
ports from Bulgaria, Cuba, the United
States and Yugoslavia.
Cigarette production here has risen
nearly 16 per cent since 1970 while the
population has grown less than 4 per
cent.
Since 1959, Soviet cigarette consump-
tion has risen almost 75 per cent-a sta-
tistic that led one Soviet cancer special-
ist to suggest there is "some sort of na-
tional death wish
Soviet health authorities are particu-
larly alarmed by the apparent failure of
their, program to dissuade students and
other young people from smoking.
A survey of Soviet smoking habits
published by Krokodil, the satirical Sovi-
et weekly newspaper, said that smoking
has become increasingly fashionable and
popular among women and young peo-
ple.
Until 5 years ago, only 10 to 12 per
cent of Moscow women smoked, accord-
ing to Leonid V Orl.ovsky, a senior re-
-searcher at the Central Institute for Sci-
-entific Research in Health Education.
Now the estimate is 30 to 35 per cent.
The percentage of Moscow men who
smoke has risen from 63 to an estimated
CO per cent, according to other studies.
Mr Orlovsky has found in recent sur-
veys of schoolchildren that more are be-
ginning to smoke at younger ages, a
trend almost as true of girls as of boys
_iow.
The conclusion of Soviet researchers
.s that the intensive anti-smoking cam-
Daign begun in the country's schools has
Droved ineffective.
This campaign used cartoons, pos-
ers, booklets, films, television discus-
ions and special study programs to em-
ihasize the dangers of smoking.
One of the films opens with a shot of
bench. Then it zooms in on a long-haired, There have been other proposals that
guitar--playing, youth singing a jingle the government reduce 'cigarette pro-,
t
d
a ou
ow coo an
adult it is to smoke. auction and raise prices to discourage
Then it moves to some white-aproned smoking as it has done with vodka in an
women at a cigarette. factory telling an effort to curb alcoholism.
interviewer that they do not consider' Higher-priced brands have been in
smoking harmful.
Suddenly an authoritative male nar-
rator. interjects:
"The nicotine from five cigarettes
can kill a rabbit. The nicotine from 100
cigarettes can kill a horse. What about
man?"
Within a few minutes, viewers hear
that a smoker is 13 times as likely to get
cancer or stomach ulcers as a nonsmok.
er, that he is more likely to suffer from
a variety of other diseases as well.
But this and similar films are under-
cut. Krokodil complained, by the exam-
ple set by teachers, doctors and nurses,
who rank among the heaviest smokers in
the Soviet Union.
Some anti-smoking campaigners
have called recently for the government
to ban smoking in all public places, such
as Poland did last fall.
Smoking is now forbidden in sub-
ways, buses, most theaters and lobbies,
cafeterias, many factories and shops
and, by recent order, on all airplane
flights of three hours or less.
But these prohibitions are widely ig-
nored. A Krokodil cartoon shows a group
of boys smoking near. the restroom of
their school while smoke clouds pour out
of the teachers' room down the hall. The
caption reads: "Our teachers are just
like children."
Krokodil noted that a "no smoking"
sign hangs in its office-"but you cannot
-see it for the smoke." .
troduced, but like new products on the
American market they appear to have
only increased total sales, which came
to more than $5 billion last year, accord-
ing to preliminary figures.
Rough-cut Primas, the cheapest Sovi-
et cigarettes, still sell for 14 kopecks (20.
cents) a pack. The more popular Rossis-
kiye or Stolichnye cost 40 kopecks (57-
cents), and some smokers pay 80 ko-
pecks ($114) for Yava longs.
Many of the country's small cigarette
stands are often out of.the 6 or 7
the 10 brands they carry.
Krokodil, which announced in its spe-
cial issue that it was "throwing"--the
Russian expression forgiving up-ciga-
rettes, attacked the lack of concern here
about the increase in smoking in an unu-
sual criticism of Soviet authorities It
singled out health authorities for partic.
ular criticism, saying that they had
failed to emphasize the dangers in-
volved.
Soviet doctors have written too ti-
midly, quoting findings made abroad on i
smoking's harmful effects (a typical So-
viet practice of citing bad examples in
the West in dealing with domestic prob-
lems), according to Krokodil.
"In a word, all these terrors take
place somewhere in far-off lands or the
countries of capitalism," Krokodil said,
"and our smoker is left with the brave
hope that this does not affect him per-
sonally."
wo 14-year:old boys smoking on Approved For Release 2004/10/28 : CIA-RDP88-01314R000300600005-2
 A 29 ? OATA&Pb 1974
The front cover of Krokodil
Approved For Release 2004/10/28 : CIA-RDP88-01314R000300600005-2