Low-Yield Cigarettes

To the Editor: Despite the conclusions reached by Dr. Benowitz et al. (July 21 issue¹), the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) estimates of nicotine yield per cigarette may be meaningful if, as shown by Gust and Pickens,² those who smoke low-nicotine cigarettes compensate by smoking more cigarettes per day, in order to obtain their daily nicotine “fix.” The figure (2B) in which Benowitz et al. show no relation between the blood cotinine concentration and the FTC nicotine yield per cigarette could reflect the smoking of a larger number of cigarettes per day by those who smoke low-nicotine cigarettes. This seems.