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Tobacco Companies Increase Nicotine Levels in Cigarettes The amount of nicotine in cigarettes has been gradually going up. When researchers from the Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH) re-analyzed the amount of nicotine in major brand name cigarettes sold in Massachusetts from 1997 to 2005, they found manufacturers have steadily increased nicotine levels. The analysis is based on data the manufacturers submitted to the Massachusetts Department of Public Health (MDPH). Results show nicotine increased an average of 1.6 percent a year, or about 11 percent over the seven years. The report also reveals manufacturers not only intensified the concentration of nicotine in tobacco but also changed several design features to increase the number of puffs per cigarette, making them potentially more addictive. There was more nicotine in cigarettes made by the four major manufacturers and in the main categories -- menthol, non-menthol, full-flavor, light and ultra light. "Cigarettes are finely-tuned drug delivery devices, designed to perpetuate a tobacco pandemic," reports researcher Howard Koh, M.D., M.P.H., a former commissioner of public health for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. "Yet precise information about these products remains shrouded in secrecy, hidden from the public. Policy actions today requiring the tobacco industry to disclose critical information about nicotine and product design could protect the next generation from the tragedy of addiction." According to information provided in the report, cigarette smoking causes about 438,000 premature deaths in the United States each year. About 900,000 people become addicted to smoking annually.