Cigars are being promoted as flavorful and cheap, prompting a national increase in use by teenagers. However, Jeff Azure from the Police Youth Bureau in Bismarck, said cigars aren't quite as popular in North Dakota.

Studies by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimate 14 percent of students in grades 9-12 in the U.S. are cigar smokers. Cigar smoking is more common among males (19.2 percent) than females (8.7 percent) in these grades.

The most recent Youth Risk Behavior Survey conducted by the Bismarck Tobacco Free Coalition shows that the rate of cigar smoking by teenagers in grades 9-12 in North Dakota stayed at a stable rate from 2003 to 2005 (13 percent to 12.2 percent). Nationally, the rate was 14 percent.

In North Dakota, cigar use may not be as much of a problem as in other areas of the country. Tobacco use is illegal for anyone under the age of 18. Azure said most citations aren't given for cigar use, but rather for cigarettes or rolling tobacco. When a youth is cited for tobacco reasons, he or she is given a $70 fine. In addition to the fine, the youth also must take classes on the dangers of tobacco.

"Smoking in general is just bad. It's usually a one-time thing that people do when they turn 18," Chelsey Hanson, a senior at Mandan High School, said.

Mary Junker, one of the owners of the M&H gas station in Mandan, said the station hasn't seen an increase in cigar sales. Cigars still have more of an appeal to the older generation. M&H does not allow advertising throughout the store, so cigar use has not been promoted in any way. And the lack of cigar promotion may be keeping North Dakota away from the growing trend.

Dr. Brenda Miller from Medcenter One in Bismarck said becoming addicted to cigars has more to do with peer pressure than anything else. "It takes awhile, but when someone smokes enough cigars, they become dependent due to the nicotine," Miller said.

She also said cigars and cigarettes basically have the same health effects, but cigars are held in the mouth longer so the chance of mouth cancers is higher. But, according to Miller, one has to try hard to become addicted to cigars because it takes awhile to tolerate the taste.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said the appeal of cigars can be linked to a certain social status. Cigars have been marketed as symbols of a luxuriant and successful lifestyle.

"I started smoking cigars in high school, mostly as a way to socialize, but the whole aspect of smoking any tobacco is still bad," said Jake Weber, a junior at Minnesota State University-Moorhead. Weber is a graduate of Mandan High School.

Karalee Harper from the Bismarck Tobacco Free Coalition said there's an aggressive market for cigar use with kids, which includes cigars being allowed on store counters, the multiple flavors and the selling of single cigars. The American Journal of Public Health blames marketing for more teens using cigars. Cigar use surged in the 1990s with the high use of celebrity endorsements. With the featuring of celebrities in endorsements, the cigar industry was able to successfully market its product to adolescents of both sexes, the journal said.

The increased use of cigars has led to new types of prevention. Miller has taken steps toward tobacco prevention with different programs for quitting smoking. She focuses on the smell that is associated with tobacco and the different harmful effects. "The biggest thing toward cigar prevention is to not have teenagers start in the first place,"Miller said.

Harper said solutions include better health education, partnerships between schools and the community, and healthier school environments.