587 



to caffeine, although the extent of caffeine addiction in the 

 population is unknown?^ 



If the same "standards" are applied to caffeine, should the FDA also be considering (or 



should you suggest that it begin) regulating coffee and soft drinks as drugs? 



One final point is important. Essentially every claim made about manipulating 

 nicotine in cigarettes by Dr. Kessler can be made about alcohol in beer, wine and spirits. 

 Spirits manufacturers constantly monitor the alcohol content of their products throughout 

 the fermentation process to precisely control the level of alcohol. Beers and wines are 

 offered to the public with a wide range of alcohol content. Alcohol is added to fortified 

 wines. High alcohol malt liquors are also available to the public. While no one will dispute 

 that alcohol can be a truly "addicting" substance under any definition, there is no move to 

 regulate alcohol as a drug, and we do not believe there should be. 

 Why People Choose to Smoke 



Dr. Kessler dismisses the issue of why people smoke by concluding, as the anfi- 

 smoking supporters he relies upon conclude, that smoking is an "addiction" and smokers 

 would quit if they could break this "addiction". In the current climate of social disapproval 

 and "political correctness", it is unpopular for smokers to honestly state that they smoke for 

 pleasure and enjoyment. Yet for hundreds of years smoking has been accepted as a social 

 custom, providing a pleasurable, enjoyable break from normal activities. Smokers enjoy the 

 taste and other sensory aspects of smoking. A few moments with a cigarette can be a break 



^^ Benowitz, N.L., "Clinical Pharmacology of Caffeine." Ann. Rev. Med.. 41(0) 277-288, 

 1990. 



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