Differences in acute reinforcement across reduced nicotine content cigarettes.

Area of Science:

• Tobacco regulatory science
• Nicotine addiction research
• Behavioral pharmacology

Background:

• The precise nicotine threshold that alters smoker preference remains undefined.
• Understanding this threshold is crucial for evaluating nicotine reduction policies.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop an efficient method for determining the nicotine difference that changes cigarette preference.
• To inform future research on the impact of reduced-nicotine cigarettes.

Main Methods:

• A within-subject design assessed preference for cigarettes with varying nicotine content (1.3-18.7 mg/g) against a very low nicotine cigarette (VLNC; 0.4 mg/g).
• 17 adult smokers completed forced-choice trials comparing one nicotine level to the VLNC per session over five days.
• Preference was measured by the proportion of choices for the higher nicotine cigarette over the VLNC.

Main Results:

• Cigarette choice increased with higher nicotine content.
• Smokers preferred cigarettes with 5.3 mg/g nicotine or more over the VLNC.
• Cigarettes with 2.3 mg/g nicotine or less were not preferred over the VLNC.

Conclusions:

• Nicotine reduction to 2.3 mg/g or lower in cigarettes attenuates their reinforcing effects.
• The developed choice procedure can efficiently guide clinical trials on reduced-nicotine cigarettes.
• Further replication with larger samples and longer access periods is warranted.