The Addictive Properties of Nicotine

Introduction 828. Cigarette smoking is an addictive behavior, characterized by drug craving,

¶compulsive use, tolerance, withdrawal symptoms, and relapse after withdrawal. Underlying the smoking behavior and its remarkable intractability to cessation is the drug nicotine. Nicotine is the primary component of cigarettes that creates and sustains addiction to cigarettes. While the terminology of addiction has evolved over time, the underlying facts about the addictive nature of smoking and the centrality of nicotine to the addiction have been known and have not changed in over 40 years.

Since the 1950s, Defendants have researched and recognized, decades before the scientific community did, that nicotine is an addictive drug, that cigarette manufacturers are in the drug business, and that cigarettes are drug delivery devices. The physiological impact of nicotine explains in large part why people use tobacco products and find it so difficult to stop using them. Moreover, Defendants have sought to exploit the addictive quality of smoking and nicotine for decades in order to develop new products and increase sales.
Notwithstanding the understanding and acceptance of each Defendant that smoking and nicotine are addictive, Defendants have publicly denied and distorted the truth as to the addictive nature of their products for several decades. Defendants have publicly denied that nicotine is addictive, have suppressed research showing its addictiveness, and have repeatedly used misleading statistics as to the number of smokers who have quit voluntarily and without professional help.

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Defendants have intentionally maintained and coordinated their position on addiction and nicotine as an important part of their overall efforts to influence public opinion and persuade people that smoking was not dangerous; in this way, the cigarette company Defendants could keep more smokers smoking, recruit more new smokers, and maintain or increase their earnings. Additionally, Defendants have sought to discredit evidence of addiction in order to preserve their "smoking is a free choice" argument in smoking and health litigation.
Defendants, with the exception of Philip Morris, continue to publicly deny and distort the truth as to the addictiveness of cigarette smoking and nicotine's role in the addiction. Defendants ignore their own internal statements acknowledging and exploiting nicotine addiction. While nicotine shares certain key attributes of heroin, cocaine, and other drugs, Defendants continue to assert that smoking is no more addictive than coffee, chocolate, and exercise, and (with the exception of Philip Morris) continue to deny that nicotine is addictive at all.