Less than 10 years ago, a monograph on the health effects and trends in consumption of cigars would have seemed unnecessary. Until 1992, in the United States at least, cigar consumption had been declining for many decades and cigars accounted for only a small fraction of tobacco consumed. But in 1993, a large and sustained increase occurred in cigar consumption. Given this trend, it is time for an authoritative analysis of the health effects of cigars, which is provided by this National Cancer Institute monograph. It dispels any myths that cigar smoking is not harmful.

The monograph also covers trends in consumption and prevalence of smoking cigars, toxicology and pharmacology, indoor air pollution, marketing and promotion, and regulatory policies in the United States. It is a scientific report, written with a …