A Nice, Cool Glass of Nicotine

July 26, 2006

A nicotine drink may soon be an alternative to lighting up in Canada. Nic Lite, a lemon-flavored drink, contains organic nicotine in an amount equivalent to two cigarettes (4 mg) and may soon be available on store shelves north of the US border, according to a report by globeandmail.com.

Nicotine-addicted airline passengers, who struggle to endure smoke-free flights, will be the first targets, according to Nic Lite’s manufacturers, California-based Nico Worldwide, Inc, who reportedly plan to distribute Nic Lite in over 50 airports.

“We attempted to find other products that might have the same biological effect on people to help them when they can’t smoke, or in our case, when they can’t smoke and shouldn’t smoke,” said Joseph Knight, CEO of Nico Worldwide Inc.

“We tried a lot of different product combinations and herbs and things, and the only thing that really works is the nicotine molecule itself.”

Nico Worldwide filed an application to Health Canada to market Nic Lite in Canada, according to Mr Knight, who hopes they will receive clearance within the next 2-3 months.

Enclosed workplaces, and public places, in Quebec and Ontario went smoke-free on May 31, 2006. Nic Lite is being marketed as an alternative where smoking bans are in place.

Nic Lite will be labeled as a “natural health product” but is not approved for sale in Canada, according to Health Canada spokesman Paul Duchesne, who wrote in an email to The Canadian Press: “Health Canada will only authorize for sale those products which it deems of high quality and safe and effective for over-the-counter use.”

Nic Lite in the US

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in June told Nico Worldwide that Nic Lite fails to meet the definition of a “dietary supplement”, despite published reports that nicotine is naturally present in a variety of vegetables.

The FDA originally approved Nic Lite in 2004, according to Mr. Knight. Nico Worldwide reportedly plans to hold meetings between its lawyers and the FDA in Washington.

Also in question is Nic Lite’s effectiveness in delivering nicotine to the brain with sufficient speed. Even nicotine patches and nicotine gum transmit nicotine to the brain more slowly than cigarettes, according to Joanna Cohen, director of research and training for the Ontario Tobacco Research Unit.

“Nicotine water you have to ingest, it has to go into your stomach, you have to absorb whatever there is in there, and it’s probably quite dilute, and then eventually it’s going to have to get your brain,” Ms Cohen reportedly said, adding that nicotine water may not be “the ideal way for a quick nicotine hit,” according to globeandmail.com.

“That wouldn’t be your method of choice if you want to help to curb a craving,” said Ms Cohen. “You’d want something a bit faster.”

Source:
On a hot day, a tall glass of refreshing nicotine, globeandmail.com, July 23, 2006.

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