Joined Aug 2004
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Dr. Richard Hurt, director of the Nicotene Dependance Center at the Mayo Clinic. Says:
Yet if scientists are right and nicotene is the Devil in cigars, then it is a decidedly underachieving one. Although physicians report anecdotal evidence of addicted cigar-only smokers, such cases are rare. (How often do you see cigar smokers puffing feverishly in front of a nonsmoking office building?) Far more commen is the cigarette smokers who havw to cigars and inhale, says Dr. Richard Hurt, director of the Nicotene Dependance Center at the Mayo Clinic. "Half of the nicotene [from cigars] is in freebase form," he says. "If you inhale, it is really potent." This point is crucial to understanding the health risks of cigars. The reason cigar smokers need not inhale is that the nicotene-containing smoke is alkaline and can therefore be absorbed through the linig of the mouth. Cigarette smoke, in contrast , is acidic - meaning it must be inhaled into the lungs for full absorption.