CIGARETTES AS ADDICTIVE AS HEROIN - EXPERT

MIAMI (Reuters) - Cigarettes are as addictive as heroin, a conclusion
not seriously challenged among medical researchers for at least a
decade, an expert witness told jurors deciding a massive class-action
lawsuit against U.S. tobacco companies Thursday. Like heroin or
cocaine, the nicotine in cigarettes and other forms of tobacco affects
the chemistry in the brain, requiring users to consume increasing
amounts for the same pleasure and provoking physical hardships when a
user stops or withdraws, according to Dr. Ronald Davis, a preventive
medicine specialist.

Checked-by: Patrick Henry