165 



Mr. Spears. Weir, I have described in my statement the manu- 

 facture of reconstituted sheet if that is what you are referring to. 



Mr. Waxman. Reconstituted what? 



Mr. Spears. Reconstituted sheet. 



Mr. Waxman. What is that? Is that when they add all the stems 

 and the leaves that otherwise don't have the same virility? 



Mr. Spears. Small parts of tobacco are formulated into a sheet. 

 In order to make the sheet, one of the processes is to contact these 

 materials with water. 



Mr. Waxman. I don't really want to know that much about it in 

 the time that I have. What I want to know is, in that manufactur- 

 ing process, is there nicotine brought into it so that it is reconsti- 

 tuted to what it might have otherwise been? 



Mr. Spears. As I explained, this is a continuous process. Some 

 nicotine would go into the water. Water is placed back on the fi- 

 brous material after they have been separated and made into a 

 sheet. I do not consider that an addition. 



Mr. Waxman. I gather that is the distinction that we are getting 

 from the tobacco industry, that it is not an addition of nicotine if 

 it was brought to the levels it would have been otherwise. 



Why do we need nicotine in cigarettes at all if we have the abil- 

 ity to take it out? 



Mr. Spears. I think — it is an important flavor to me. 



Mr. Waxman. You think it is a flavor? 



Mr. Spears. Undoubtedly. 



Mr. Waxman. Dr. Kessler seemed to question it was a flavor. You 

 even indicated if you had too much nicotine it is a pretty acid and 

 unpleasant taste. 



Mr. Spears I am referring to certain types of tobaccos, yes. 



Mr. Waxman. Well, I thank you all for your testimony. 



Mr. Spears. Could I correct one thing you said a minute ago? 

 And that is that Dr. Kessler said that this experiment that was not 

 reported was proof of addiction. I think he did not say that. 



He said it showed that the animals pressed a lever for nicotine 

 administration. 



Mr. Waxman. He indicated that js one of the hallmarks of find- 

 ing out whether a quality or a chemical or whatever is addictive. 



Mr. Spears. That was one of his criteria, but he didn't say that 

 was it. 



Mr. Waxman. It is a test that is used to determine an addiction, 

 isn't it? 



Mr. Spears. It is a test that is used in terms of his definition 

 of addiction, yes. 



Mr. Waxman. How about your definition of addiction? You are a 

 scientist. Isn't this a test that is used to determine addiction? 



Mr. Spears. Let me explain. I think if you look at the literature 

 on this, you will find that there are many, many tests 



Mr. Waxman. I am sure there are many tests. Isn't this one test 

 that is used to see whether it is a hallmark of addiction? 



Mr. Spears. There are many reports of this one test in the lit- 

 erature, and 



Mr. Waxman. Listen to my question and give me a yes-or-no an- 

 swer, if you can. 



