Multinational Tobacco Companies and Tobacco Consumption (China)

Until recently, the Chinese tobacco industry has been run as a state-owned monopoly. It is reported, however, that two mainland tobacco firms have begun making Marlboro cigarettes under license from Philip Morris International. The combination of low-cost Marlboro cigarettes and Western marketing practices is likely to appeal in particular to young people and women (whose current rate of smoking is 4%). This project will support the collection of baseline data against which to measure future changes in smoking patters and amount of tobacco consumed. Surveys will be carried out at six months and one, two and three years following the initial survey.