Critique of Nicotine Addiction

Nicotine is almost universally believed to be the major factor that motivatessmoking and impedes cessation. Authorities such as the Surgeon General of theUSA an... » 

Nicotine is almost universally believed to be the major factor that motivatessmoking and impedes cessation. Authorities such as the Surgeon General of theUSA and the Royal College of Physicians in the UK have declared that nicotineis as addictive as heroin and cocaine. This book is a critique of the nicotineaddiction hypothesis based on a critical review of the research literaturethat purports to prove that nicotine is as addictive drug. The review is basedon a reexamination of more than 700 articles and books on this subjectincluding animal and human experimental studies effects of nicotinereplacement therapies and many other relevant sources. This review concludesthat on present evidence there is every reason to reject the generallyaccepted theory that nicotine has a major role in cigarette smoking. A criticalexamination of the criteria for drug addiction demonstrates that none of thesecriteria is met by nicotine and that it is much more likely that nicotine infact limits rather than facilitates smoking. «