Following the announcement of the Cancer Plan (January 2003), ambitious goals were set to reduce tobacco use: a 30% reduction in smoking prevalence among young people and a 20% reduction among adults over a five-year period. Several educational and regulatory measures were implemented, including a significant price increase considered the most cost-effective. As a result, the price of cigarettes rose by 40% between January 2003 and January 2004, whereas it had increased by only 3 to 5% per year from 1998 to 2001. A 13.5% decline in cigarette sales was observed in 2003 compared to 2002: 83.5 million cigarettes sold in 2001, 80.5 million in 2002, and 69.6 million in 2003. In response to this trend and to provide up-to-date data, a smoking prevalence survey was conducted by INPES in late 2003.[article excerpt]