Some Chemical and Pharmacological Observations on "Low Nicotine" Tobacco

Chemical and pharmacological tests have been carried out on a sample of "low nicotine" tobacco. Laboratory tests involving toxicological studies on mice and blood pressure determinations in the dog showed that the toxic and vasopressor effects of the smoke from this tobacco was proportional to the amount of nicotine present and relatively independent of the nornicotine content of the tobacco. On man the smoke from these low nicotine cigarettes produced very much less pronounced effects on blood pressure and pulse rate than that produced by ordinary cigarettes. These results indicate that this type of tobacco is sufficiently low in nicotine to make it practically deserving of much further study.