IN BRIEF

Fines for selling cigarettes to minors as low as $10

The Associated Press

ATLANTA Ÿ Store clerks caught selling cigarettes to teens can face fines as low as $10 in some states, according to a survey of state laws regulating tobacco.

A report on the 1,238 laws was released Nov. 2 by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which now wants to examine whether those laws discourage smoking. It comes amid efforts by the Clinton administration and the Food and Drug Administration to curb teenage smoking by restricting tobacco.

All states forbid the sale or distribution of tobacco products to people under age 18, and 32 states prohibit minors from even using tobacco. Yet about 3 million teens smoke and 70 percent of them become regular smokers by age 18, according to the CDC.

Simpson prosecutor in $4.2M book deal

The Associated Press

LOS ANGELES Ÿ Prosecutor Marcia Clark will be paid $4.2 million by Penguin USA to write a book about the O.J. Simpson trial, sources close to the negotiations said yesterday.

Penguin topped offers from eight other publishers in a spirited bidding war that started Tuesday and concluded yesterday, according to a news release issued by Penguin publishing subsidiary Viking.

The publisher described the deal as a multimillion-dollar offer but did not disclose the exact sales price.

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