Nicotine Compared to Other Drugs

The FDA will see that smokers do not smoke "nearly exclusively" for the effects of nicotine on the central nervous system. This has been shown by the fact that many smokers smoke for reasons other than nicotine. Firstly, the term "addiction" is defined to mean that 75% to 90% of smokers smoke to satisfy "addiction". However, the tests conducted by the FDA were completely unfounded as they included in large part the use of individuals attending substance abuse clinics, which would not allow for a fair assessment of the trend in a total population. A fair representation of the circumstances of the population at large would be impossible to attain unless they included a compilation of multiple random locations, which would thereby allow for more accurate results.

Also important in the definition of "addiction" is the comparison of nicotine with caffeine. That 89% of those individuals who drink caffeinated beverages, do so on a daily basis is a vital comparison with those individuals who smoke. That only an estimated 87.5% of smoking individuals smoke everyday, is a fair comparison with those individuals who consume alcohol. However, caffeine has not been labeled an "addictive drug" by the FDA.

Yet another vital distinction between nicotine and "addictive drugs" must be made. Individuals who use nicotine on a regular basis do not develop a "tolerance" to it. The definition of "tolerance" given by the FDA, where individuals must smoke larger quantities of cigarettes to get the "same effect", is not met by the report of only 12% to 20% of surveyed individuals who reported they did indeed need to smoke more.

Finally, the absence of a defined "nicotine withdrawal syndrome" makes for an important difference between nicotine and truly addictive drugs. The terms "anxiety" and "craving" were used to describe the effects of nicotine withdrawal, which received a rating of mostly "mild" in their severity (in comparison to the "severe" rating of most other truly "addictive drugs"). And the fact that withdrawal discomfort was limited to an approximate month is also different from the withdrawal symptoms of "addictive drugs", which often last between six months and one year.