A new paper, published in Tobacco Regulatory Science explores beliefs about nicotine and the level of support among smokers for removing the nicotine from cigarettes to make them less addictive.
Key findings included:
- Eighty per cent of smokers and recent quitters say they would support reducing the level of nicotine in cigarettes and tobacco – as long as nicotine is available in alternative products.
- Almost three-quarters of the smokers questioned said they were interested in trying very low or nicotine-free cigarettes
- Whilst most participants were aware that nicotine is the substance in tobacco that keeps people smoking, almost half (46 per cent) wrongly stated that nicotine was the chemical in cigarettes that causes most of the cancer.
For more information please contact:
Professor Richard Edwards
University of Otago, Wellington
Email:richard.edwards@otago.ac.nz