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From foodconsumer.org D.rug N.ews
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30 Aug, (foodconsumer.org) - Nicotine levels in cigarettes manufactured in the US have increased by 10 percent over the last six years, a report by the Massachusetts Department of Health said Tuesday. Nicotine is the main component in cigarettes that is responsible for increasing addiction in smokers. Massachusetts Department of Public Health researchers said even the nicotine levels that could be inhaled increased in cigarettes between 1998 and 2004. The increase in nicotine was uniform and did not spare the so-called light brands either. Massachusetts is one of three U.S. states to require tobacco companies to submit information about nicotine levels in cigarettes. It is also the only state in the country to have data going back to 1998. The current study found that the three most popular cigarette brands; Marlboro, Newport and Camel, had significantly more nicotine in them than they did years ago. In Kool, nicotine levels rose by more than 20 percent, the report said. States have taken stringent measures against smoking and have banned public smoking. Yet the rates of smoking addiction continue to climb. Perhaps the answer lies in nicotine. "We in public health have tried to spend a lot of time figuring out why people don't stop smoking," said Lois Keithly , director of the Massachusetts Tobacco Control Program . ``It is more difficult to quit when there is a higher amount of nicotine in the cigarette." Addiction to tobacco smoking is the number one habit in the world. It is a notoriously difficult one to curb since the nicotine in the cigarette smoke binds to nicotinic receptors in the brain. These receptors in turn stimulate the reward pathway in brain circuitry. The activation of this pathway gives a pleasurable and contented feeling, which gradually transforms into a vicious cycle of craving and withdrawal. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention there are an estimated 44.5 million adults who smoke in the US. Among them 8.6 million have had a tryst with smoking-related illness. Smoking is the prime culprit in many respiratory diseases including lung cancer. The National Center For Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion says that smoking cause damage to the respiratory system, addiction to nicotine, and the associated risk of other drug use. Smokers are also more likely to report ill health than non-smokers. Cigarettes are the only products, which kill more than half the consumers that buy them. In such a scenario increasing the nicotine content in cigarettes to get more people hooked seems diabolical. Marlboro, the most popular brand, has been steadily raising the dosage in each cigarette. The Massachusetts Department of Public Health calculated the level of nicotine in cigarettes by using the Real way, in which smokers tend to partially cover the ventilation holes with their lips when they suck on a cigarette. Based on this calculation, nicotine levels entering the body have gone up. Sally Fogerty, associate commissioner with the Massachusetts Department of Public Health said that health-care providers trying to help people quit smoking must take into account the fact that cigarette makers have increased nicotine content in their products. ``If people are getting accustomed to higher levels of nicotine when they smoke, when they stop smoking , I would expect they would have more withdrawal symptoms," said Dr. Nancy Rigotti , director of tobacco research and treatment at Massachusetts General Hospital . ``And it would make it harder for them to quit smoking." Earlier this month a federal judge ordered cigarette companies to stop labeling their products as "ultra-light" and ``low tar." The present report proves that there is not much point in doing so. Smokers must be aware that this now becomes another reason to quit. Every cigarette smoked increases nicotine levels and hence the intensity of the addiction. © 2004-2005 by foodconsumer.org unless otherwise specified. |
