Cigarette nicotine content as a determinant of human smoking behavior

Summary

Measures of smoking rate and psychological effects of cigarettes with varying nicotine content were made in 15 subjects. While subjects did perceive differences in strength and quality of the experimental lettuce cigarettes as compared to their own brands, their smoking rates did not decrease differentially over the nicotine gradient. The decrement in smoking due to the experimental cigarettes persisted when subjects resumed smoking their own cigarettes. However, the smoking that did occur in the absence of both tobacco and nicotine indicates that the habit itself often exhibits functional autonomy from the physiological effects of nicotine.