This project examines the effects of nicotine on e-cigarette appeal, abuse liability, use patterns and toxicity.
Historically, the tobacco industry manipulated nicotine in cigarettes to promote smoking. They are now following the same playbook for e-cigarettes. These manipulations have led to e-cigarettes with increased palatability and nicotine delivery, maximizing their appeal and addictiveness, particularly to young people. While e-cigarettes may be a less harmful alternative for smokers who completely switch, e-cigarette uptake, use, and addiction among young people is alarming. Just as the tobacco industry manipulates nicotine to create e-cigarettes that appeal to young people, we posit that the US FDA, through nicotine regulation, can make products unappealing to young people and non-users while still providing smokers with a less harmful alternative with sufficient appeal and satisfaction. To test this hypothesis, Project 1 will examine how the various dimensions of nicotine effect the appeal, addictiveness, use patterns, and toxicity of e-cigarettes among cigarette smokers and e-cigarette users.