Summary
Introduction:
This article reports a study examining the relationship between cigarette nicotine level, blood nicotine, and behavioral economic measures of abuse liability. The study comprised of two primary aims: quantifying blood nicotine across usual brand and SPECTRUM investigational cigarettes, and investigating the relative contributions of nicotine content in cigarettes and blood nicotine on behavioral economic measures of abuse liability within a parametric analysis. The study used sophisticated modeling techniques to estimate behavioral economic demand measures and directly related physiological measures of blood nicotine with these behavioral economic measures of abuse liability, all within a full statistical model.
Key Points:
* The study used a fully within-subject experimental preparation where each participant smoked one of each of the different types of cigarettes, constituting relatively acute exposure.
* The study found a strong correlation between nicotine content and blood nicotine (r=0.825, p<.0001), and observed blood nicotine from the full-strength control (15.8 mg/g) was significantly lower than usual brand cigarettes.
* The study found that both nicotine content and blood nicotine predicted α (change in demand elasticity) but not q0 (consumption at free price) in behavioral economic measures.
* The study found that blood nicotine was significantly related to FTND dependency scores (rpearson =.38, p=.022), and this finding is consistent with previous research.
* The study used a nonlinear mixed-effects modeling approach, which allowed for the estimation of behavioral economic demand parameters and associated errors with greater accuracy than previous approaches.
* The study controlled puff administration in a manner not directly applicable to a public health setting, and this should be considered when interpreting the implications for public policy.
* The study's small sample size and the use of a hypothetical trait-based vignette in the purchase task are limitations that suggest avenues for future research.
Main Message:
The study suggests that reducing nicotine content in cigarettes to 1.3 mg/g or lower may reduce the likelihood that first-time smokers will choose to continue smoking and may help current smokers abstain or transition to harm-reducing alternatives. The study's findings support the potential benefits of reducing nicotine content in cigarettes as a public health strategy, but further research is needed to determine the most effective approach to implementing this strategy in real-world settings. Overall, the study highlights the importance of considering both nicotine content and blood nicotine in understanding the abuse liability of cigarettes and developing effective tobacco control policies.
Citation
Kaplan Ba, Crill EM, Franck CT, Bickel WK, Koffarnus MN. Blood Nicotine Predicts the Behavioral Economic abuse Liability of Reduced-Nicotine Cigarettes. Nicotine & tobacco research : official journal of the Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco. 2022;24(5):728-735. doi:10.1093/ntr/ntab227
