Nicotine Is Not Addictive.

May 9, 2017 Vaping Links 38 Comments

Nicotine is NOT addictive.

The world has been manipulated into believing that nicotine itself is addictive. It isn’t. Nicotine is not addictive.

Decades of the assertion of nicotine addiction is wrong. Millions of smokers have been lied to. Millions have believed the addictive property in cigarettes is nicotine alone by default or design.

MILLIONS have tried to “quit or die” with “approved” methods.

The assertion of nicotine “addiction” by “public health” is profitable and absurd.

Where IS the PROOF?

Is there proof of the global claim of addiction to nicotine without tobacco?

I decided to challenge that.

Nicotine Addiction: An Open 30-Day Public Health Challenge.

I asked Joe Gitchell (of Pinney & Associates) what he thought:

I think you've set up a good challenge and I don't think I would bet against you!

— Joe Gitchell (@jgitchell) March 19, 2017

No one was able to produce any overwhelming evidence of addiction to nicotine without tobacco or MAOI’s.

They didn’t prove themselves right.

It also raised funds with a net total of $560.06 for ecigarette-research.org.

How Can That Be?

Hearing it for nearly three decades, the generation under 50 assumes this claim is true.

Because you’ve been led to believe force-fed information.

Propaganda.

“Tobacco and nicotine are addictive like alcohol, cocaine, and heroin.”

Wikipedia has a link describing nicotine (in and with tobacco) as

“Nicotine is highly addictive.”

It also states “Nicotine constitutes approximately 0.6–3.0% of the dry weight of tobacco”

“This stimulant effect is a contributing factor to the addictive properties of tobacco smoking.”

Tobacco with all the other chemicals may be “addictive”, but nicotine itself is not.

Do you really believe “.06% up to 3%” is the addictive part with all the other chemicals?

This is a list of what the FDA determines to be the “other chemicals and additives” (or what they consider the “Established List”) in cigarettes.

Are there other chemicals that cause addiction in tobacco?
MAIO’s?

Are There Other Chemicals That May Contribute to Tobacco Addiction?

Here is the “Fagerström ~~Nicotine~~ SMOKING Dependence Scale”

Answer the questions honestly as a smoker if you smoke or answer the questions honestly now as a “vaper” (or both). It’ll take one minute to get your answer:

Fagerström ~~Nicotine~~ SMOKING Dependence Scale

Why would there be “manipulation of nicotine” if it “is” the addictive property in cigarettes:

The SECRET and SOUL of Marlboro

Nicotine is NOT addictive.

One, with half a brain might think all those additives in tobacco could be the reason for “addiction”. Well – evidently not. It must be the nicotine.

A Nicotine Lie Is Born

In 1988, the Surgeon General released this report setting the phrase “nicotine addiction” into anti-smoking and eventually what has become “tobacco control” folklore.

By design, the anti-smoking establishment took a deep manipulative smoke-free breath in unison – and went, yeah, nicotine addiction. We can use that.

Contrived? Absolutely.

Created false nicotine theory
to manipulate smokers
into thinking they are addicted

The two other anti-tobacco experts, Neal Benowitz and Jack Henningfield were the jointly responsible scientific editors of the 639-page official Surgeon General’s Report: “Nicotine Addiction” in 1988.

According to the court documents the two experts both had solid economic cooperation on smoking cessation products with many pharmaceutical companies since the 1980s – Neal Benowitz as a professional consultant for several pharmaceutical companies that produce smoking cessation products, while Jack Henningfield earned most of his income from his own business companies which have had long-standing partnerships with Glaxo and Pfizer.

That above is here:

Anti-smoking experts paid by Big Pharma

“Lying about “nicotine” addiction becomes addictive like alcohol, cocaine, and heroin.”

Nicotine is NOT addictive.

They Couldn’t Wait To Help

Smoking bans, laws and (bookmark alert) —> anti-smoking groups went berzerk. Patches, gums, etc. were set and soon “in place” to “help” smokers.

Public health, anti-smoking groups now tobacco control “groups” have (used) gotten away with stating nicotine addiction for DECADES, never separating tobacco or all the additives in the manufacturing process (MAOI’s) with a simple proof by assertion, the whole world “believes” very quickly, that nicotine itself, is addictive. Government goes along for the ride.

Please, Keep Smoking

When you wanted to stop smoking, you had it set in your mind via the brainwashing you’ve had most or all your life. Patch. Gum. Approved methods. You take the word of experts who should know better, run to the local drug store or supermart and load up on essentially useless products.

The world of anti-tobacco, pharmaceuticals and government, by ~~design~~ deception, have manipulated public opinion.

Remember above?

“Tobacco and nicotine are addictive like alcohol, cocaine, and heroin.”

Proof by assertion:

Proof by assertion, sometimes informally referred to as proof by repeated assertion, is an informal fallacy in which a proposition is repeatedly restated regardless of contradiction. Sometimes, this may be repeated until challenges dry up, at which point it is asserted as fact due to its not being contradicted (argumentum ad nauseam).

There are stats to show how ~~well~~ poorly the patch and gum are helping folks stop smoking at a whopping 93% failure rate here.

Profits from nicotine replacement “therapies” are addictive like alcohol, cocaine, and heroin.

Nicotine is NOT addictive.

An Addiction To Revenue

Nicotine gum was around in 1967, but commercially available in 1978.

The nicotine patch came on the market in 1992

The Tobacco Companies Were Right

Shortly thereafter, in 1994, the tobacco companies were put on the spot, in my opinion, to look like villains – to make the public record look as if they were lying, and make the pharmaceutical companies much more profitable.

Wouldn’t most or all of us, if “addicted” to nicotine alone, have

Smoked more and more cigarettes every day to increase our “nicotine” levels?
Continually use higher MG patches going up instead of “stepping down”?
Chewed copious amounts of nicotine gum until our cheeks exploded?
Become “junkies”, gone on crime sprees and lived on the streets?
Seen a huge worldwide black market for nicotine gum & patches?

Nicotine is NOT addictive.

Willful Manipulation And Deception

“Experts” willfully, with malice, have the answer – and give you what you’re supposedly addicted to, to help you become free from your addiction.

That, my friend, is business 101 charlatanism defined.

I’ll let you ponder that as I keep typing.

The phrase “nicotine addiction” became profitable by the 1990’s.

From This: (Bookmark alert) Big Drugs Nicotine War

“Keeping people smoking by saying replacement “therapies” work is “as addictive as alcohol, cocaine, and heroin”.

Nicotine is NOT addictive.

An Addiction To Lying

ALWAYS referring to tobacco, never without. An alleged expert in her field.

Nicotine is one of the most addictive chemicals known to mankind #ECToH2017
It is just as addictive as cocaine and heroin, if not more so pic.twitter.com/y5kZaRw0WE

— Wanda de Kanter (@Wdekanter) March 28, 2017

The more you fail at an addiction you don’t have, the more job security there will be.

Nicotine is NOT addictive.

An addiction to “funding”:

(Added 10/01/17)

Organizations claim “free” help. How much does “free” cost?

Losing money:

Sales of Nicotine Patches and Gums Slow as More Smokers Turn to E-Cigarettes to Quit

Losing money:

Smoking Cessation Nicotine De Addiction Products Market to Record a Sluggish CAGR of12.3% by 2025

If “Nicotine IS Addictive”

Here’s an example of an alleged “expert” using misdirection.

Then – there’s a contradiction. It either IS addictive or it is not.

There’s no “depends”. It makes “experts” look assertive, but uneducated.

To presume, assume, portray and assert the “fact” that nicotine itself is THE addictive ingredient in tobacco is unsubstantiated, contrived and incorrect.

I’ve asked for proof of addiction to nicotine without tobacco. Repeatedly. Replies were either completely ignored, or amusing to some extent.

Without proof that nicotine itself “IS” addictive, it’s not as easy an answer to – lie about.

I looked. Asked politely, and sometimes not so politely. Then I looked some more.

Facebook. Emails.

Becoming a pain in the ass, I’ve asked “important people”. I’ve asked wannabe’s with PhD’s, top experts on addiction.

“Tobacco control – experts – “, T.V. doctors, the Centers for Disease Control, The Food & Drug Administration, the Surgeon General and even asked Pfizer & Johnson & Johnson on Twitter. I wanted anyone to show proof that – without tobacco – nicotine “is” addictive.

I’ve asked the Lung, Heart, Cancer and other organizations like the American Medical Association. You name it, I’ve asked.

Not one could produce evidence to show addiction without using tobacco or MAOI’s.

They all say use those approved “cessation” methods.

Imagine my surprise.

Nicotine is NOT addictive.

Multi-Billion Dollar Lies

I asked Mr. Zercher of 22nd Century. According to his Twitter account, he is

“VP BD @_xxiicentury (cig w less nicotine than a tomato? yep), fmr head of #americanspiritcigarettes.”

He’s done research (funded by the FDA). Surely, with the progress and innovation of creating a cigarette with “less nicotine than a tomato”, he’s done some research. He of all people – he’s got answers.

See, he’s got a cigarette with less nicotine in it. That tells me he’s got evidence that nicotine is the addictive property in tobacco, not the tobacco.

I covered his portion of the multi-billion dollar, global industry (that I’m still waiting to prove me wrong) here:

22nd Century

I’m also still waiting for you to find it, Mr. Zercher.

Convincing smokers that nicotine is addictive is a multi-billion dollar global lie.

What I could find

Before the challenge was proposed publicly, I did some homework. Hell, I’ve been doing homework for 3+ years. To really scour the world for addiction to nicotine without tobacco was a task.

Once I published the challenge, I expected to be bombarded with studies, data, science and proof that nicotine, without tobacco – IS addictive. Instead, I was expectedly told to “change the criteria”. Huh.

Why? If it IS addictive – after all these years – where is the data?

With no real assistance or help from the “experts”, I found the following on my own:

This one, with my favorite word “can” and of 18 people, does not show addiction.

Nicotine reinforcement in never-smokers.

Read the title twice before you click this next one….

Three Decades of High-Dose Nicotine Gum Dependence Treated With Nicotine Patches.

A survey (unacceptable for the purpose of the challenge) showing less than one percent.

Addiction to the nicotine gum in never smokers

Added 9/1/17

(***Thank you** to Coral Gartner)

Patterns of over-the-counter nicotine gum use: persistent use and concurrent smoking.

Added 9/1/17

(***Thank you** to Coral Gartner)

A comparison of the abuse liability and dependence potential of nicotine patch, gum, spray, and inhaler.

Added 9/1/17

(***Thank you** to Coral Gartner)

Nicotine Pharmacology (with tobacco)

I found this as well:

Nicotine self-administration

This is a paywall: (1985)

Physical Dependence on Nicotine in Gum A Placebo Substitution Trial

And “Effects of withdrawal from long-term nicotine gum use” – Psychol Med 1985;15:891-893

Effects of withdrawal from long-term nicotine gum use

Really. With all the “as addictive” claims, why are there so few “sort of” references?

Because nicotine addiction doesn’t exist.

Added 5/12/17:

This one – claims the scientific evidence… but…. seems to reinforce a whole lot of nothing except the assertion…

The scientific case that nicotine is addictive.

Added 5/31/17

This cannot possibly apply to nicotine as a discrete substance even when delivered in a cigarette. The problem with a regular intake of nicotine in a cigarette is all the collateral damage caused by smoking.

Via Harry Shapiro:

Nicotine in the News – 29 May

WHY IS THIS DISMISSED?

Finally, ignored since 2011, Hanan Frenk and Reuven Dar submitted this to the Harm Reduction Journal:

We show that the nicotine addiction model presented in this chapter, which closely resembles its 22 years old predecessor, could only be sustained by systematically ignoring all contradictory evidence.

Their link is here:

If the data contradict the theory, throw out the data: Nicotine addiction in the 2010 report of the Surgeon General

Final thoughts.

To question this topic has brought understandably varied levels of criticism among peers, and dismissal due to the assertion of addiction by some professionals without separating tobacco from the equation. I was asked repeatedly to change the criteria.

In giving advice on smoking cessation, the perception of being addicted to “nicotine” itself, then suggesting a “step-down method” with nicotine products is a questionable at best.

Blaming smokers for “not trying hard enough” and telling them it takes many tries is no longer acceptable.

If it were the nicotine itself, not the tobacco, chemicals and maoi’s introduced to enhance tobacco, there would be merit for these products for cessation.

“NRT” and cessation devices do not work. Public health and the manufacturers have known this all along and gone along with the illusion. Nicotine Replacement “therapies” are like any other homeopathic or snake oil remedy.

If you are an expert, please – feel free to comment on this blog and prove addiction to nicotine without tobacco.

This is now a perpetual challenge. I’ll wait.

Here’s a list of other valuable resources added as they are found.

The FDA themselves say:

“although any nicotine-containing product is potentially addictive, decades of research and use have shown that NRT products sold OTC do not appear to have significant potential for abuse or dependence.

Withholding differential risk information on legal consumer nicotine/tobacco products: The public health ethics of health information quarantines

IS Nicotine Addictive?

All You Need To Know About Nicotine

Belief about Nicotine Modulates Subjective Craving and Insula Activity in Deprived Smokers.

Belief about nicotine content in cigarettes can curb cravings

A Good Side To Nicotine

Nicotine – the basics

Why Is Smoking Addictive? It’s Probably Not Just Nicotine, Despite What We’ve Been Told For Years

How much nicotine kills a human?

Do smokers self-administer pure nicotine? A review of the evidence.

Endovasc develops slow release nicotine liposome for angiogenesis: Growing new blood vessels around blocked arteries

What medical ‘experts’ hide: Nicotine does NOT cause cancer

Nicotine is not valid proof of smoking.

Nicotine as Therapy

A review of relative risk perceptions across smokeless tobacco, e-cigarettes, nicotine replacement therapy and combustible cigarettes.

Diminishing Dependency

Does Nicotine Cause Vasoconstriction?

Nicotine, The Wonder Drug?

The myth of nicotine addiction

Why You Should Use Nicotine (And Why You Wont Become Addicted)

Nicotine and e-cigarettes: Rethinking addiction in the context of reduced harm

List Of Nicotine Articles / Chris Price (ecigarette-politics.com)

Is Everything We’ve Been Told About Nicotine Wrong?

Nicotine treatment of mild cognitive impairment

Dependence on tobacco and nicotine

Research in Review: Nicotine addiction studied at ETSU

Do additives make tobacco more addictive?

What Does Nicotine Do To Your Body? The answer might surprise you…

Monoamine Oxidase Inhibition Dramatically Increases the Motivation to Self-Administer Nicotine in Rats

Role of dopamine in the behavioural actions of nicotine related to addiction.

Is Nicotine Bad? 28 Proven Health Effects of Nicotine

Titration Theories

Dispelling Myths about Nicotine Replacement Therapy

Nicotine and networks: Potential for enhancement of mood and cognition in late-life depression

Which Is More Addictive, Coffee or Nicotine? If You’re Asking, You Can’t Understand the Answer

“Clinically, very few users of NRT become dependent on it”…. page 53.

From the Royal College of Physicians: (PDF Dropbox)

Nicotine without smoke

Brian L. Carter

Father Jack:

This crossed my eye for reference.

Tolerance, Dependence, Addiction: What’s the Difference?

Addicted to Fraud? Health Care Industry Forced to Return Nearly $2 Billion to Taxpayers Under False Claims Act

Added 5/10/17

Speaking of fraud:

Censorship of addiction research is an abuse of science

Added 5/16/17

I can’t make this stuff up.

“The research, published today (Tuesday 16 May) in the journal Scientific Reports, adds to the Chittka lab’s understanding of how bees – insects with a brain no bigger than a pinhead – can perform complex tasks.”

Nicotine enhances bees’ activity

Added 5/17/17

In a trial of varying levels of reduced nicotine content cigarettes, participant drop-out greater for lower nicotine https://t.co/mdOBRePgrk

— Addiction Journal (@AddictionJrnl) May 17, 2017

That study is here:

Attrition during a randomized controlled trial of reduced nicotine content cigarettes as a proxy for understanding acceptability of nicotine product standards

Added 8/23/17:

Brad Rodu:

Negligible Evidence of Radical Nicotine Reduction Benefit

Mine:

The FDA can’t prove nicotine addiction or gateways exist.Lowering nicotine in cigarettes is a gateway to smoking

I decided to email the UCSF college to find “nicotine in humans” in their files. They responded very nicely and referred me to PubMed.

By telling me to put in

Nicotine Addiction (or whatever you’re searching) and adding

( NOT mouse NOT Cigar, etcetera) like below to find anything on human addiction to nicotine, I still got nothing.

Seven items did come up… but…after all that, there was no nicotine addiction, in humans.

I slowly added NOT and the next word, like cigar – or alcohol…. or rat…Huh.

Nice tip and lesson learned.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/?term=Human+Nicotine+addictive+addiction+NOT+tobacco+NOT+mao+NOT+smoking+NOT+smoke+NOT+rat+NOT+Mouse+NOT+Mice+NOT+Snus+NOT+Cigarette+NOT+cigar+Not+Dopamine+NOT+Smokers+NOT+alcohol+NOT+drugs

Added 8/30/17

Smokers’ understandings of addiction to nicotine and tobacco: A systematic review and interpretive synthesis of quantitative and qualitative research

Added 9/1/17

Here’s a train wreck waiting to happen when “experts” misconstrue tobacco with nicotine:

Cardiovascular Toxicity of Nicotine: Implications for Electronic Cigarette Use

Added 9/9/17

Nicotine – The Zombie Antidote

Saw this in a Facebook group I belong to – from 2012. An excellent perspective from Gabriela Segura, M.D:

“My aim here is to defend the rights of people who choose to smoke. It may surprise you to know that, while the percentage of the population that smokes has declined in recent years (due to government propaganda), the incidence of heart disease has not declined. The reason, shock! horror! is that smoking is not the real problem to begin with!”

Nicotine – The Zombie Antidote

Added 9/15/17

GOROKH | A Case for Nicotine Use

Added 9/20/17

Don’t let the title fool you…

Science is conclusive: Tobacco increases work capacity

Added 9/21/17

Why Is Smoking Addictive? It’s Probably Not Just Nicotine, Despite What We’ve Been Told For Years

Added 9/23/17

“This site was written by a healthcare writer and edited by the former editor of MayoClinic.com as a public service to help smokers make informed decisions”

It also has a section on e-cigarettes.

The Nicotine patch. the facts and advice from real people.

Added 9/29/17

“De-Addiction”

This is more like “de-addiction” to their revenue……….and they don’t LIKE it.

I LOVE it when the disruption is SO blatant and clear… and it’s in print.

Pfft… “de-addiction”…

“This has resulted into implementation of regulations and legislations for drugs and electronic cigarettes, which will further curb growth of the market in North America.”

Smoking Cessation Nicotine De Addiction Products Market to Record a Sluggish CAGR of12.3% by 2025

Added 10/04/2017

Imagine my surprise, when I’m told nicotine content ranges MUCH higher than in cigarettes….that after a “four-year study” that had

“taken a multidisciplinary approach that includes experimental animal models and a range of human studies that examine tobacco product appeal, addictiveness, and toxicity.”

“Studies showed low abuse liability for snus“

Research Tools to Inform FDA Regulation of Snus

Added 10/18/17

Warning: Nicotine Seriously Improves Health

ADDED 12/25/2017

I’ve got some AMAZING people and organizations I am connected with around the world. This link was shared with me by the New Nicotine Alliance AU. I don’t understand it all, but I get that “nicotine alone” (does) not enhance addiction…. Without tobacco…… or MAOI’s…..

Bold is my emphasis:

Discussion:

The main finding of our study is that nicotine needs the association with an irreversible and non-selective MAOI to induce the same neurochemical modifications as those observed with compounds belonging to the main groups of drugs of abuse (i.e., amphetamine, cocaine, morphine, or alcohol) (Salomon et al., 2006; Lanteri et al., 2008). Moreover, although repeated injections of nicotine alone do not enhance the hyperlocomotor effects of amphetamine or PCA, tranylcypromine pretreatment allows nicotine to induce a robust and persistent cross-sensitization to these two drugs.

Added 01/30/18

“The commercial importance of the ‘’dependence to nicotine’’ dogma”

“This change of heart should normally create the effect of a bomb”

Fagerström Finds His Way To Damascus

Added02/01/2018

“… authors of the study…….envision their work could lead to new non-addictive, nicotine-based treatments for some of the 51 million people worldwide who suffer from the disease.”

Nicotine normalizes brain activity deficits that are key to schizophrenia

Added 3/01/2018

“Some e-cigarette users were dependent on nicotine-containing e-cigarettes, but these products were less addictive than tobacco cigarettes. E-cigarettes may be as or less addictive than nicotine gums, which themselves are not very addictive.”

That’s here:

Dependence levels in users of electronic cigarettes, nicotine gums and tobacco cigarettes

Also:

Is it possible (Quora Answer)

Added 4/04/18

Nicotine “addiction”

“The effects of nicotine on the brain are similar to those of sugar, salt, exercise, and other harmless substances and events”

“There are so many findings that conflict so starkly with the view that nicotine is addictive that it increasingly appears that adhering to the nicotine addiction thesis is only defensible on extra-scientific grounds.”

Short version:

Nicotine as an Addictive Substance: A Critical Examination of the Basic Concepts and Empirical Evidence

Full version: