# Smokes **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [October 19, 2012, 11:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/smokes/638289 "2012-10-19T23:38:58Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![mykhaugh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c5a1d2/32.png) [@mykhaugh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mykhaugh)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2012, 11:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/smokes/638289/1 "2012-10-19T23:38:58Z")
I have’nt seen this asked yet, so here goes. If you can take the caffine out of coffee how come you can’t take the nicotine out of cigarettes. I’ve been trying to quit forever and this seems like a logical solution to ween people off. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2012, 11:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/smokes/638289/2 "2012-10-19T23:42:15Z")
You could try electronic cigarettes, which I understand have non-nicotine options. ---
**Author:** ![dougrb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/76d3ee/32.png) [@dougrb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dougrb)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2012, 11:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/smokes/638289/3 "2012-10-19T23:46:43Z")
> [@mykhaugh](#): > > I have’nt seen this asked yet, so here goes. If you can take the caffine out of coffee how come you can’t take the nicotine out of cigarettes. I’ve been trying to quit forever and this seems like a logical solution to ween people off. Get an ecig… nicotine only. I quit 2.5 years ago after getting one. I think I could quit completely if I wanted to, but it’s so much cheaper, I don’t want to. I like the nicotine buzz! It doesn’t stink and it doesn’t leave cig burns. This is where I got mine. > **[Cignot ®](https://www.cignot.com/Default.asp)** > > Cignot carries Joye products as well as multiple lines of e-liquid. We carry what we believe to be the best ecigs available today. Store locations in Addison, Brookfield, Elmhurst, Hickory Hills, Lisle, Oak Park and Willowbrook ---
**Author:** ![dougrb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/76d3ee/32.png) [@dougrb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dougrb)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2012, 11:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/smokes/638289/4 "2012-10-19T23:50:29Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > You could try electronic cigarettes, which I understand have non-nicotine options. Beat me to it. Yea, no nicotine versions are available and lots of different flavours. ---
**Author:** ![LawMonkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/d6d6ee/32.png) [@LawMonkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LawMonkey)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2012, 12:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/smokes/638289/5 "2012-10-20T00:01:01Z")
And really, as chemicals in cigs go, nicotine is fairly inoffensive. You’d be better off getting rid of everything else. Which brings us back to ecigs. ---
**Author:** ![Derleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2012, 12:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/smokes/638289/6 "2012-10-20T00:16:05Z")
When you remove caffeine from coffee, you still have a warm drink that tastes and smells good but doesn’t keep you up or make you jittery, if you’re prone to that. There are reasons to drink decaf. When you remove nicotine from tobacco, you’re still inhaling a toxic smoke that will damage your lungs and respiratory tract in general but it doesn’t satisfy your cravings. There’s no (or very little) reason to smoke nicotine-free tobacco. There’s a lot more reason to inhale smoke-free nicotine, which is what ecigs provide. ---
**Author:** ![dougrb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/76d3ee/32.png) [@dougrb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dougrb)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2012, 1:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/smokes/638289/7 "2012-10-20T01:03:14Z")
The other plus, I’ve never been asked to NOT SMOKE an ecig in a no smoking establishment (which are getting more prevalent). Although, airlines do explicitly forbid them. Not that anyone would ever know if you were discrete about it. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2012, 1:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/smokes/638289/8 "2012-10-20T01:06:36Z")
They get the nicotine down to very low levels in cigarettes, and I’m sure they can get them lower. The problem is that most people smoke to get the nicotine, and they won’t buy cigarettes that don’t have it. It’s a disincentive for both smokers and cigarette manufactures. ---
**Author:** ![drewtwo99](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d07c76/32.png) [@drewtwo99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drewtwo99)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2012, 1:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/smokes/638289/9 "2012-10-20T01:09:18Z")
> [@Derleth](#): > > When you remove caffeine from coffee, you still have a warm drink that tastes and smells good but doesn’t keep you up or make you jittery, if you’re prone to that. There are reasons to drink decaf. > > When you remove nicotine from tobacco, you’re still inhaling a toxic smoke that will damage your lungs and respiratory tract in general but it doesn’t satisfy your cravings. There’s no (or very little) reason to smoke nicotine-free tobacco. There’s a lot more reason to inhale smoke-free nicotine, which is what ecigs provide. This can’t be entirely true, or ecigs wouldn’t even exist. People would just chew the nicotine gum or use the patches to get their nicotine fixes. There must be something about putting a cylindrical object in your mouth and sucking on it that people like, above and beyond just getting the nicotine. ---
**Author:** ![voltaire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voltaire/32/313_2.png) [@voltaire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/voltaire)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2012, 1:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/smokes/638289/10 "2012-10-20T01:39:13Z")
Nicotine isn’t the only (or necessarily, the most) addictive and psychoactive substance in tobacco. ([Link to recent thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=15564522&postcount=20), so I don’t have to type it out again.) ---
**Author:** ![drewtwo99](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d07c76/32.png) [@drewtwo99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drewtwo99)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2012, 1:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/smokes/638289/11 "2012-10-20T01:47:46Z")
> [@voltaire](#): > > Nicotine isn’t the only (or necessarily, the most) addictive and psychoactive substance in tobacco. ([Link to recent thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=15564522&postcount=20), so I don’t have to type it out again.) So do ecigs have these other addictive substances? Or are they pure nicotine delivery? If they are only nicotine, why do so many people find them to be suitable replacements or stepping stones to get off smoking? ---
**Author:** ![dougrb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/76d3ee/32.png) [@dougrb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dougrb)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2012, 1:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/smokes/638289/12 "2012-10-20T01:49:58Z")
> [@drewtwo99](#): > > This can’t be entirely true, or ecigs wouldn’t even exist. People would just chew the nicotine gum or use the patches to get their nicotine fixes. > > There must be something about putting a cylindrical object in your mouth and sucking on it that people like, above and beyond just getting the nicotine. It’s what they call in the ecig world the “throat hit”. It’s all psychological. Out of four people I know that tried ecigs, I’m the only one that quit. And it’s because real cigs “hit” harder. Although, I have to admit, when I first quit, part of it was “taking a cig break”. It just didn’t feel right NOT going outside and smoking a cig (I didn’t smoke inside even at my house). Again, all psychological. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2012, 1:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/smokes/638289/13 "2012-10-20T01:56:18Z")
> [@drewtwo99](#): > > This can’t be entirely true, or ecigs wouldn’t even exist. People would just chew the nicotine gum or use the patches to get their nicotine fixes. > > There must be something about putting a cylindrical object in your mouth and sucking on it that people like, above and beyond just getting the nicotine. Not so much as they need to alleviate the uncomfortable feeling of not doing something you’ve been doing hundreds of times a day for years. Some people may have that oral fixation thing, but they can easily substitute chewing on gum or coffee stirrers to keep themselves occupied. Nicotine is extremely addictive, and smoking gets the stuff quickly into your brain. It’s intake comes in small doses repeatedly each day, day after day, year after year, the ideal recipe for addiction. The only advantage of smoking is that it’s cool. Heavy price to pay for that. ---
**Author:** ![voltaire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voltaire/32/313_2.png) [@voltaire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/voltaire)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2012, 2:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/smokes/638289/14 "2012-10-20T02:02:20Z")
> [@drewtwo99](#): > > So do ecigs have these other addictive substances? Or are they pure nicotine delivery? > > If they are only nicotine, why do so many people find them to be suitable replacements or stepping stones to get off smoking? 99% of ecigs only contain nicotine, but there [are efforts](https://www.google.com/search?q=whole+tobacco+alkaloids&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a) (of questionable legality) out there to address this shortcoming. As to why nicotine-only ecigs are sometimes effective… well they address all of the other aspects of the addiction, and even cold-turkey is effective for some people sometimes. Different people are addicted at varying degrees to the different aspects and ingredients of smoking cigarettes. There is no one method that is equally effective for everyone - which is one of the things that make quitting so difficult. ---
**Author:** ![ZenBeam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/3ab097/32.png) [@ZenBeam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZenBeam)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2012, 2:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/smokes/638289/15 "2012-10-20T02:29:32Z")
> [@drewtwo99](#): > > This can’t be entirely true, or ecigs wouldn’t even exist. People would just chew the nicotine gum or use the patches to get their nicotine fixes. > > There must be something about putting a cylindrical object in your mouth and sucking on it that people like, above and beyond just getting the nicotine. I thought the main difference was that that smoking a cigarette gave a quick, high nicotine dose, where the gum or patches gave the nicotine over a longer period. A quick search didn’t say either way, though. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2012, 2:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/smokes/638289/16 "2012-10-20T02:46:11Z")
> [@ZenBeam](#): > > I thought the main difference was that that smoking a cigarette gave a quick, high nicotine dose, where the gum or patches gave the nicotine over a longer period. A quick search didn’t say either way, though. That is true. But not everybody smokes for the rush, some just are maintaining a consistent level of nicotine in their body. Remember, most people smoke to stave off the effects of withdrawal and dropping a habit, no matter what they tell you. Few smokers would keep doing it as often as they do it not for the unpleasant experience of giving it up. ---
**Author:** ![qualityleashdog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/9f8e36/32.png) [@qualityleashdog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/qualityleashdog)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2012, 2:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/smokes/638289/17 "2012-10-20T02:56:18Z")
I remember a cig called Quest from about ten years ago. It was for quitters, and came in 3 levels of potency, and you were supposed to start off with 1 (most nicotine) and go down to 3 (little or no nicotine). They didn’t taste good, and the premise was that you got to continue going through all the motions of smoking until you were weaned off the nicotine. There’s actually a Wikipedia article about them. Guess they still exist. The level 3 has .05 mg of nicotine, which they call ‘trace amounts.’ They’re made from genetically modified tobacco, with all the same great health and fire hazards as regular cigarettes, except for reduced nicotine. ---
**Author:** ![Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/13edae/32.png) [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stranger_On_A_Train)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2012, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/smokes/638289/18 "2012-10-20T18:36:37Z")
Modern flu-cured cigarette tobacco (“recon” or reconstituted tobacco) is specifically designed to reduce the amount of available nicotine compared to air-cured tobacco leaf used in loose leaf and most cigar tobacco; however, it is also constituted to deliver the nicotine that it has more quickly and efficiently to the bloodstream by reducing the alkalinity of the combustion products and therefore making easier to inhale. The point of all this isn’t to protect your health; it is to make smoking more addictive and to cause consumers to purchase and use cigarettes at the greatest possible volume. When a tobacco brand touts the “mildness” of the smoke, what they are really saying is, “It is easier to deliver our additive substance along with all of the toxic by-products that are added during processing to your bloodstream,” akin to free-basing cocaine. In short, the modern cigarette is the crack cocaine analogue of tobacco. Many cigarettes and flavored cigars/pipe tobacco also have enhanced levels of sugar beyond the natural converted starches in the tobacco leaf in order to make them more aromatically pleasing (or disgusting, depending on your affinity for sweets). This makes cigarettes seem even more appealing and (arguably) addictive, and also more damaging to lung tissues. For anyone who believes this is just overwrought hyperbole, please do yourself the favor of educating yourself by reading the online archive of tobacco industry literature and correspondence at the [[http://legacy.library.ucsf.edu/](http://legacy.library.ucsf.edu/)]Legacy Tobacco Documents Library]([http://legacy.library.ucsf.edu/](http://legacy.library.ucsf.edu/)) hosted by UCSF as part of the 1998 Tobacco Master Settlement Agreement. The plain language of research and correspondence in the tobacco industry clearly indicates that they were not only aware that this treatment made cigarettes both more addictive and toxic, but actually enhanced those properties in order to increase sales volume. The only real way for most people to quit smoking and stay quit is to comprehend the damage that tobacco is doing to your immediate and long-term health, understand the manipulation that tobacco companies are doing to convince you that their product is an innate and defining part of your basic personality, and develop a strong revulsion to tobacco products based on both. Replacing cigarettes with a product like cigarettes but with a reduction in some of the toxic products isn’t just a crutch; it’s a hurdle that continues the unconscious habits of smoking. Even true pure nicotine delivery surrogates like gum should be used as briefly as possible strictly to mitigate the most extreme reactions to nicotine withdrawal. Stranger ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2012, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/smokes/638289/19 "2012-10-20T19:12:47Z")
> [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](#): > > The only real way for most people to quit smoking and stay quit is to comprehend the damage that tobacco is doing to your immediate and long-term health, understand the manipulation that tobacco companies are doing to convince you that their product is an innate and defining part of your basic personality, and develop a strong revulsion to tobacco products based on both. Cite? ---
**Author:** ![Anny\_Middon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/bc79bd/32.png) [@Anny\_Middon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anny_Middon)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2012, 9:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/smokes/638289/20 "2012-10-20T21:43:44Z")
FWIW– I smoked for 23 years and quit 19 years ago. There were no ecigs back then and nicotine gum required a prescription. I quit “cold turkey”. It wasn’t easy. One factor that kept me off the cigarettes was that after the first few days I kept telling myself that if I started smoking again all the hell I’d already gone through would have been for nothing. I quit for a number of reasons but the most important was that I was tired of being an addict. I was tired of always having to think about whether I had any cigarettes with me, whether I had a way to light a cigarette, where I could go to smoke a cigarette, etc. The damage to my health and the manipulation that tobacco companies are doing had very little if anything to do with my decision. Giving up the mechanics of smoking was hard. One of the reasons I started smoking was that it gave me something to do in awkward moments. If someone asked me a question I wasn’t sure how to answer, I could dig out a cigarette, stick it in my mouth, rummage for a lighter, light it and inhale, all the while thinking furiously about how it was best to respond. For years after I quit I still missed smoking. Not any longer, especially when I see how much a pack of cigarettes costs. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/smokes/638289.md?page=2)