Nicotine Drink Touts Alternative to Smoking

June 24, 2006 — -- There's a whole new way for smokers to get a fix -- a lemon-flavored drink laced with nicotine.

Nic Time, the company that makes Nic Lite, says its meant to tide over smokers when they can't light up on a plane or a bar. But critics say it could be one more way for young people to get hooked.

An 8-ounce bottle contains the same amount of nicotine as two cigarettes. Nic Lite was first available at Los Angeles International Airport for smokers who get fidgety on flights. Now, some convenience stores also stock it.

The company's Web site says it would also like to offer Nic Lite in bars, since more and more of them are smoke free.

Nicotine gum and the patch are supposed to help people quit smoking, but Nic Lite is marketed as a way to get you through until you can smoke some more.

While the FDA regulates the gum and patch as drugs, Nic Lite is classified as a dietary supplement. That means it was able to get to market without any oversight. The FDA can only take action if it's found to be dangerous.

"Somehow the FDA has either been fooled or has made another of a long line of bad decisions over the last 10 years or so," said Sidney Wolfe of the group Public Citizen.

Even though it worries some critics, Yale Medical School professor, Dr. David Katz said Nic Lite will probably not be as big a hit as other cigarette substitutes. He also said it is less addictive than cigarettes.

"The biggest difference is that the gum and the patch are used to help you quit smoking," he said. "When we ingest something, most chemicals that get into the blood stream go through the liver and that sort of filters those chemicals out. So there tends to be less of an effect when you ingest something than when you smoke it or absorb it through the skin. So it's going to be less intense and less addictive by mouth than if you smoke it or wear the patch. But don't let that fool you -- you still get the nicotine hit. That's why the gum, which in essence is ingested, works."