U.S. TO SURVEY CIGARETTE PREFERENCES

WASHINGTON -- President Clinton plans to announce today that the
federal government will begin conducting annual surveys to determine
cigarette brand share in the market for underage smokers, a defiant
gesture aimed at tobacco companies and their congressional allies.

Recoiling from the demise of comprehensive anti-smoking legislation in
the Senate last week, Clinton will issue an executive order directing
the Department of Health and Human Services to begin documenting which
brands enjoy favor among smokers ages 12 to 17, as part of the yearly
National Household Survey on Drug Abuse, senior administration
officials said Sunday.

The tobacco bill, which stalled after failing to win the necessary 60
votes to end debate, would have called for such research into the
youth smoking market.

Scott Williams, a tobacco industry spokesman, dismissed Clinton's
planned action as a ``political gesture'' aimed at stigmatizing
tobacco and diverting attention from Clinton's failure to pass tobacco
legislation.

Checked-by: (trikydik)