NicotineIs it safe?
Q&A
Help to quit
Free, confidential, evidence-based support to quit smoking, vaping, or tobacco for New Yorkers.Does nicotine cause cancer?
No, nicotine does not cause cancer. Poisons found in cigarettes, like arsenic, formaldehyde, and many more, cause cancer.
Smokeless tobacco, like chew, also contains many cancer-causing chemicals.
Nicotine is an addictive drug that keeps you smoking, but it is the other harmful chemicals in cigarettes that make smoking so dangerous.
Nicotine is an addictive drug that keeps you smoking, but it is the other harmful chemicals in cigarettes that make smoking so dangerous.
Why don’t the cigarette companies just take nicotine and tar out of the
tobacco?
Cigarettes wouldn’t be addictive without nicotine, you’d stop smoking, and they wouldn’t
get your money! Tar provides most of the flavor for your cigarette. Less tar, less flavor.
Isn’t it better to switch to low-tar, low-nicotine cigarettes?
No. Even though it may feel better on your chest, chances are you will puff harder and smoke
more of each cigarette to get the nicotine.
I have a hard time quitting smoking. Is there a safer way to get nicotine?
Yes. You can get clean nicotine in a nicotine patch, gum, nasal spray, lozenge, or inhaler;
these products don’t have tar.
Won’t I get hooked on nicotine in nicotine medications like the patch?
Most people find it easy to get off nicotine medicines after a few months. Products like the
nicotine patch, gum, nasal spray, lozenge, or inhaler deliver nicotine slowly.
Nicotine gets absorbed through the skin or through the lining of the nose or mouth.
Does nicotine replacement really work, or is it just another way to get money out of smokers?
Nothing will work unless you want it to. Nicotine medications can help by dulling your cravings for a cigarette and are proven to
increase your chances of quitting.
Do you have more questions about nicotine? Tell us about it.
Last updated 3/16/2022 8:13 AM
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