A report carried out by the Massachusetts Department of Health informed on Tuesday that the nicotine levels in cigarettes have increased with up to 10% nowadays as compared to those registered in 1998. Nicotine is the main ingredient in cigarettes which leads to addiction in smokers. Also, smoking is the leading form of addiction worldwide.

Members of the Massachusetts Department of Public Health involved in the survey also noted that the nicotine levels did not only increase in filters/normal cigarettes, but light cigarettes also contain higher levels of the addicting component.

Massachusetts researchers highlighted the fact that increased levels of nicotine make it even tougher and more difficult for heavy smokers to kick the bad habit. People become addicted to smoking because the compound in the cigarettes smoke comes to bind to nicotinic receptors in the brain. Therefore, the more nicotine in cigarettes, the stronger and more intense the addiction.

"We in public health have tried to spend a lot of time figuring out why people don't stop smoking. It is more difficult to quit when there is a higher amount of nicotine in the cigarette," pointed out Lois Keithly, director of the Massachusetts Tobacco Control Program.

Smokers nowadays should become aware of the fact that cigarette producing companies increase levels of nicotine in their products, therefore they are at higher risks of getting a wide range of health disorders, including lung cancer. Also, the health problems are going to appear sooner and develop more quickly than in the past.

"If people are getting accustomed to higher levels of nicotine when they smoke, when they stop smoking, I would expect they would have more withdrawal symptoms. And it would make it harder for them to quit smoking," warned Dr. Nancy Rigotti, Director of Tobacco Research and Treatment at Massachusetts General Hospital.