The odd thing is cigars and pipes don't seem to have such a strong effect as cigarettes. Could be the smoking style (inhale vs mouth). Or it could be that cigarette companies figured out how to be as efficient as possible with every angle of addiction. Which we'll never have proof of.
To my knowledge BT never deliberately altered their product in any way to make
it more addictive. Regardless of what they knew or more importantly what there opponents
accused them of knowing at any given time any alterations were due to controlling the
quality and consistency and accuracy of the product and reporting to the government of the amount
of nicotine in the
tobacco,voluntarily making recommended changes that government agencies
were recommending to be changes in the law and,requirements to enter new products onto the
market.
If the net result of all this was that tobacco did become more addictive it was not done so
deliberately and most likely even if it was would not have the intended result. Those that develop
a dependency to smoking usually ramp up their use to maintain the dependency fairly quickly
whether it be 5 cigarettes,10 cigarettes even a pack a day and maintain this intake for a life
time more or less. Some do not of course but they are in a minority. Though there is a
tendency to increase usage over time but it is not a linear progression in most cases.
Half a pack in the twenties, a pack a day in the thirties then, maybe a pack and a half or to
by the forties and fifties after which increased use levels off although may not cease in
some cases. Most of the increases are due more to environmental factors such as advancing
in your career and winding up at a desk with a lot of free time and of course being under
employed or unemployed, (there is more smoking in lower economic groups) stress
and other things.
What people do not understand about nicotine dependency is once you do become
dependent, maintaining nicotine is not about getting a buzz because you are no longer
getting a buzz and getting a buzz has long been dropped as for your reason to smoke.
You remain smoking so as not to experience the withdrawal symptoms. This seems
to be a unique factor about smoking dependency. The body adjusts pretty quickly
to find its level to keep from going into withdrawals not crave every increasing amounts
to get that buzz. The buzz becomes a non factor.
Regards and sorry for getting carried away,
Mike