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Tobacco Companies Go East

As cigarette smoking wanes in the United States, the giant U.S. tobacco companies have discovered a new market -- the countries of Central and Eastern Europe and the former USSR. The companies' high-profile marketing campaigns saturate a region already plagued by poor health habits. And as the industry recoups from a massive settlement that imposes U.S. government restrictions on its product, it is likely to turn all the more to markets where smoking is more socially acceptable and where anti-smoking laws are weak. This three-part series examines the companies' strategies for marketing to the East, smoking's health effects, and the details of the U.S. settlement.

THE EAST: U.S. Tobacco Firms Look Overseas To Recoup Domestic Losses

Washington, 26 June 1997 (RFE/RL) - Experts say that U.S. tobacco firms are now aggressively looking abroad to sell cigarettes, especially to lucrative markets in Eastern Europe and the countries of the former Soviet Union, following a proposed multi-million dollar settlement with the U.S. legal and public health establishment.

THE EAST: Marlboro Man Rides High As Smoking, Death Rates Soar

Prague, 26 June 1997 (RFE/RL) -- The Marlboro man, an advertising figure synonymous with the world's largest multinational cigarette company, is riding high in central and eastern Europe. The well-known cowboy, a creation of U.S.-based Philip Morris, is having a tough time at home. Just last week, American cigarette companies reached a tentative agreement under which they would pay $368.5 billion over 25 years to help cover the domestic health costs of smoking.

UNITED STATES: Tobacco Decision Creates New Restrictions, New Fights

Washington, 26 June 1997 (RFE/RL) -- The U.S.'s largest tobacco manufacturers will face months of negotiations in Congress following a historical decision to regulate their industry.

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special reports 1997