According to Information Resources, Inc., which conducted the study for IMS Health, sales of the stop-smoking pill Zyban dropped 22 percent, while sales of the patch Habitrol, the No. 2 prescription aid, declined 43 percent. In addition, sales of over-the-counter aids have decreased by 3 percent, with the Nicoderm patch falling more than 20 percent.

Doctors and researchers blame the drop on insurance companies that don't pay for cessation drugs and on doctors who don't actively help their patients quit smoking.

The study also found a significant increase in "light smoking," or those who smoke as few as one to four cigarettes a day.

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