718 



Mr. Waxman. If you raise the level of nicotine in the cigarette, 

 all other things being equal, it would raise the level of nicotine in 

 the smoke. Do you disagree with that statement? 



Mr. Spears. If all other things were equal, but they are not. 



Mr. Waxman. We'll get into that in a minute. You wrote in this 

 article that higher nicotine levels can be achieved by decreasing 

 oriental and the stem and tobacco sheet and increasing the burley 

 and upper stock positions of both the flue-cured and the burley to- 

 bacco. 



Do you agree that cigarette makers can adjust the level of nico- 

 tine in cigarettes through the process of blending different types of 

 tobacco? 



Mr. Spears. People will get different nicotine concentrations in 

 the tobacco depending upon the specific blend, yes. 



Mr. Waxman. Now, I want to ask if everyone on this panel 

 agrees. Do each of you agree that you can adjust the level of nico- 

 tine in your cigarettes through the blending process? Mr. Johnston? 



Mr. Donald Johnston. Yes, Mr. Chairman. 



Mr. Waxman. Mr. Sandefur? 



Mr. Sandefur. Depending on the availability of the blend con- 

 stituents, yes, you can. 



Mr. Waxman. Mr. Horrigan? 



Mr. Horrigan. The same response as Mr. Sandefur. 



Mr. Waxman. Mr. Taddeo, do you agree? 



Mr. Taddeo. In smokeless tobacco products, you can vary it. 



Mr. Waxman. Mr. Johnston? 



Mr. James Johnston. Yes, Mr. Chairman. 



Mr. Waxman. You agree. And Mr. Campbell? 



Mr. Campbell. Just a moment, please. No. It's important to re- 

 member that the concentration can be changed, but it is the abso- 

 lute level in low delivery cigarettes that is all important. We're 

 talking about 



Mr. Waxman. Do you agree that you can adjust the level of nico- 

 tine in your cigarettes through the blending process? 



Mr. Campbell. Yes. 



Mr. Spears. Mr. Chairman, would you say concentration and not 

 nicotine level? Then I can agree with you. 



Mr. Waxman. You have each told us that you can have the po- 

 tential to adjust the nicotine levels 



Mr. Spears. Concentration. 



Mr. Waxman. Concentration or levels — through blending. What 

 I'd like to know is whether you have actually exercised this control. 

 Mr. Johnston, let me begin with you, whether j'ou've actually exer- 

 cised this control. 



Mr. James Johnston. Mr. Chairman, we do not design our ciga- 

 rettes with any nicotine levels in the specifications. We design our 

 cigarettes, this is very important, for tar levels, usually within a 

 band. It might be a light cigarette within that band or sometimes 

 a specific tar level objective and the nicotine flows from there, be- 

 cause filtration takes 



Mr. Waxman. You have the ability to control it. Your answer is 

 you have controlled it, but for other reasons. Is that a fair state- 

 ment of your answer? 



