Cigarettes could be classified as drugs in US

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said last week that it was prepared to reclassify nicotine as a drug on the grounds that it is an addictive substance. This could lead to more stringent tobacco regulation and even a ban on cigarettes. In a letter to several health organisations Commissioner David Kessler said last Friday that the FDA had found that tobacco manufacturers manipulate the nicotine content in cigarettes during processing to promote addiction. …