DON’T PASS THE SMOKES

Most Americans, Including Smokers, Want Less Addictive Cigarettes: Report

Eight in 10 smokers think cigarette makers should lower nicotine levels in cigarettes so they are less addictive.

Most American adults, including eight out of 10 cigarette smokers, say they want their cigarettes to be less addictive, according to a report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine. The data, which comes from a national online survey, shows that most Americans over 18 want less nicotine in their cigarettes. “The percentage of those who favor reductions in nicotine was high across all assessed categories including sex, age, income, education, race/ethnicity, and use of other types of tobacco products besides cigarettes,” the CDC said in a press release. Approximately two-thirds of adult smokers want to quit smoking, but only one in 10 smokers actually do, because the nicotine in cigarettes is so addictive. “Lowering nicotine levels in cigarettes could help current smokers quit and make it less likely for future generations to become addicted to these products,” said Corinne Graffunder, Dr.PH., M.P.H., director of the CDC’s Office on Smoking and Health.