Smoking Rates in Developing Countries - Dr. Markou

The United States', and especially California's, decrease in smoking is terrific. Unfortunately, the rates of people smoking are increasing in developing countries, especially China and India. There are few medications to help people stop smoking available in the U.S., however, these medications are too expensive for people in other countries. So even when we develop more medications it is unlikely they could afford them. When Athina visited Butan, she found it disheartening that even though it is illegal to smoke cigarettes there and you don't see anyone smoking, it is still rather widespread especially among young males.

Professor, Dept. of Psychiatry and Director of a NIH consortium on the discovery of treatments for depression and nicotine dependence. She has published more than 120 journal articles and book chapters. Her work focuses on reward and motivational processes in three psychiatric disorders: nicotine dependence, depression and schizophrenia.