555 



- 9 - 



In short, our customers enjoy smoking for many 

 reasons. Smokers are not drug addicts. 



V. PHILIP MORRIS RESEARCH DOES NOT ESTABLISH 

 THAT SMOKING IS ADDICTIVE 



At the March 25 hearing. Commissioner Kessler 

 repeated the charges of Dr. Jack Henningf ield, that in 

 1983, a company, later publicly identified as Philip 

 Morris, suppressed research by one of its scientists 

 which allegedly concluded that nicotine was an addictive 

 substance. That claim is false. 



In fact, that scientist published two full papers 

 and five abstracts concerning the work in question prior 

 to the creation of the manuscript in question. That 

 manuscript, which was subsequently provided to the 

 Subcommittee by Commissioner Kessler, did present some 

 evidence that nicotine will be self-administered by rats 

 and is, therefore, a "weak" reinforcing agent. But the 

 manuscript itself states: 



"that termination of prolonged access to 

 nicotine under conditions in which it 

 functions as a positive reinforcer does 

 not result in physiological dependence." 



