Hooked on the nicotine addiction thesis: A response to DiFranza

Abstract

DiFranza's rebuttal to our critique of the " Hooked on Nicotine" research program misconstrues our arguments beyond recognition. The grossest misrepresentation of our critique by DiFranza is that we devise (by thwarting science) to rescue " the conventional wisdom" of the " threshold model of nicotine addiction." In fact, the difference between our positions lies elsewhere: We believe that nicotine is not an addictive drug and that its contribution to the smoking habit is secondary; DiFranza believes that nicotine is so powerfully addictive that novice smokers can lose autonomy over their smoking behavior after one cigarette or even following a single puff. Our review aimed to critically examine the empirical basis of this extreme version of the nicotine " addiction" model. In this brief commentary we illustrate how the commitment to the nicotine " addiction" theory has biased the methodology and the interpretation of the data in " Hooked on Nicotine" research program. © 2013 Dar and Frenk; licensee BioMed Central Ltd.