You've got to admire the folks who seem doggedly determined to deliver nicotine to the consumers of America. They don't give up.
They tried nicotine lollipops. FDA said no. They tried nicotine lip balm. FDA said no. They tried nicotine water. FDA said no. So for the time being Nicorette Gum and the NicoDerm patch have the NRT market pretty much to themselves. And just what the heck is NRT? It's Nicotine Replacement Therapy. And if the FDA weren't standing in the way, the NRT industry would be bigger than General Motors and you'd be able to buy nicotine fruit roll ups, nicotine salted chips and nicotine aftershave.
The funny thing is: I'm not kidding.
An organization called Action on Smoking and Health (ASH), has distributed something of a smoking-gun memo on their web site (no-smoking.org). It's a 1992 Brown & Williamson Tobacco Corporation internal memo titled "Brainstorming Session on Novel Tobacco Products." ASH says the memo proves that tobacco companies are scrambling to come up with ways to deliver their drug. Or, put another way: deliver their therapy. That's right - it's not addictive - it's something to help people kick their addiction. Sure! It's good for you! Meanwhile, have some nicotine cotton candy (one of the memo ideas), or nicotine tea or just pop a nicotine pill. But why should the executives at the B&W Tobacco Company have all the fun? Do you have ideas for interesting and borderline insane ways the tobacco companies could market nicotine products? We're going to start a string on the HSI Forum under "Nicotine Product Idea." We'll show them: we can be just as crazy as tobacco executives any day. To Your Good Health, Jenny Thompson
Health Sciences Institute Sources: "Excerpts from Tobacco Memo May Help FDA - Firm Says Candy Idea Merely Brainstorming" Action on Smoking and Health
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