Over the past two decades a wealth of research findings have pointed to nicotine as the key pharmacological factor underlying tobacco use. The 1988 report of the US Surgeon General identified cigarette smoking as nicotine addiction (1); the Royal College of Physicians similarly concluded that...

Historically, cigarettes and other tobacco products have been exempt from health and safety standards for ingredients and emissions that are typically applied to other consumed products including foods, beverages and drugs (1, 2, 3). Although some countries have begun to develop and apply...

The United States Federal Trade Commission [FTC] adopted standardized testing methods for the measurement of tar and nicotine yields of cigarette smoke in the 1960s and for carbon monoxide in 1981, mandating the disclosure of these ratings in cigarette advertising (1). Under the International...

A number of new tobacco products for which reduced exposure, reduced toxicity and reduced health risk claims are being made are being introduced in markets worldwide. These products include cigarettes modified to purportedly reduce their toxicity, including cigarettes with modified tobacco from...