Tobacco Documents Online

aiza SMORELESS CIGARETTES--URGENT WARNING ON PUBLIC HEALTH HAZARD September 14, 1988 Ronald Wilson Reagan The President The White Kouse Washington, DC 20500 Dear Mr. President: co It is my understanding that the FDA_._is...xe.vie.rrLlug...the ."smokeless cigarette" to see if it is classifiable as a drug, and that the AMA, the American Cancer Society, and the American Heart Associa- tion have petitioned for a review of its safety. From the per- spective of long experience in the field of drug delivery techno- logy, IagouJdlike to warn of an imminent danger of this product. It has the potent_lal,' if misused, for disastrously worsening addiction to cocaine, heroin, and other hard drugs in the United States. A:. Chairman of ALZA Corporation, which I founded to improve the administration of therapeutic drugs, I believe I can comment knowledgeably on both the technology and risks of this product. Unquestionably the smokeless cigarette is an extremely sophisti- cated drug delivery system that could be useful in administering a limited number of therapeutic agents. It is probably the most effective system devised to date for getting drugs to the brain via inhalation. Unfortunately, as a consumer product, it could be quickly and simply converted to an unprecedently powerful means of administering drugs of abuse. My immediate concern centers on crack cocaine. The technology of the smokeless cigarette could make that drug far more potent and make its public use totally concealable. All that would be re- quired would be soaking the smokeless cigarette in a cocaine solution, drying it, and then smoking it. The key technology element of this cigarette is its carbon end--a highly refined unit that provides a smokeless, odorless burn. As the user draws air through this heated end, the heated air pas- sing through the cigarette creates a steam distillation of the drug present, which is then inhaled as a finely dispersed aerosol mist. Since neither the tobacco or drug are burned, the entire amount of drug is available to be absorbed from the aerosol mist onto the large surface area of the lungs, whence it is carried ALZA CORPORATION, 950 PAGE MILL ROAD, P.O. BOX 10950, PALO ALTO, CA 943034902 (415) 4"5000 TELEX 345528

., via the-bloodstrear nto the brain. In contra__, present methods of cocaine inhalation burn up much of the drug before it ever reaches the user's lungs. . The smokeless cigarette, if misused for crack, clearly would eliminate most of the hindrances to smoking it--the elaborate pipes and procedures required and the tell-tale odor, which is even more pungent than marijuana. Unquestionably such a develop- ment could greatly expand the use of crack cocaine. Crack users would be indistinguishable from persons using ordinary smokeless cigarettes. People could be exposed or even become addicted to crack by being offered (unawares) a "smokeless ciga- rette" that had been soaked in cocaine. Of all the addictive drugs in our society, crack has had the greatest impact. Because it is cheap, it has hit the most sus- ceptible members .of our society, the young and the poor. More- over, it has become increasingly addictive and dangerous as it has been used intranasally, then injectably, and then smoked. The last thing we need is to create another means of crack admi- nistration that could be even more efficient than current methods and much simpler to use. For this reason, I am addressing this urgent message about the smokeless cigarette to yourself and other key officials concerned with the public health, including the Surgeon General, the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services, and the Director of the National Institute of Drug Abuse. Sincerely, ... Alejandro Zaffaroni Founder and Co-chairman ALZA Corporation 2