Compensatory Smoking

print page

Some scientists believe that the potential for reducing the intake of tar and nicotine from smoking low tar & nicotine cigarettes may be reduced or cancelled out by smoking them more intensely. This is called compensatory smoking or simply compensation. Do low tar & nicotine cigarette smokers take longer or more frequent puffs, or do they inhale more deeply, or smoke more cigarettes a day than with higher yielding brands?

Research

Research shows that the answers to these questions may sometimes be "yes", and there is a variable reduction in tar intake when switching to lower tar, and nicotine cigarettes. However, research also suggests that any compensatory smoking may be transitory and should decrease as the smoker becomes accustomed to the reduced delivery product.

Although it is possible to design and manufacture lower tar and nicotine products, smokers must understand that the way they smoke will always be the single most important factor in the amount of smoke they inhale.