Cigarettes Today Are Engineered for Addiction — Here's How - Part 1 of 6

Cigarettes Today Are Engineered for Addiction — Here's How.
PART 1 of 6 "Unfiltered: Inside the Smoke"
Today’s cigarettes are a far cry from the simple tobacco rolls of the past. In this explosive episode of Cracking Addiction, Dr. Ferghal Armstrong pulls back the curtain on how modern cigarette design has been weaponised to supercharge nicotine addiction, deepen smoke inhalation, and manipulate public perception.

Learn how the tobacco industry has transformed cigarettes into highly engineered nicotine delivery systems. Discover the shocking role of ammonia additives, menthol flavoring, and filter ventilation in increasing the speed and intensity of nicotine absorption. Understand why "light" and "low-tar" cigarettes aren’t safer—they’re just deceptive.

Dr. Armstrong explores the impact of over 600 legal cigarette additives, from burn rate enhancers to flavor-masking agents, and how these innovations have been marketed to specific populations, especially through menthol cigarettes. You’ll also find out how cigarette filters, once thought to reduce harm, may actually contribute to microplastic inhalation.

This episode is essential for anyone interested in smoking cessation, lung cancer prevention, and the evolving tactics of the vaping industry. Don’t miss this deep dive into tobacco product manipulation, nicotine dependence, and the public health crisis engineered by design.

Chapters
00:00 – Cigarettes Then vs. Now: Engineered for Addiction
00:12 – What Is a Cigarette? More Than Tobacco and Paper
00:45 – Filter Ventilation: The Illusion of Safety
01:20 – Chemistry of Addiction: Ammonia and Nicotine
01:55 – Deeper Inhalation, Different Diseases
02:35 – Light Cigarettes and the Misleading Machine Tests
03:00 – Additives: Flavor, Burn Rate, and Risk
03:40 – Menthol’s Role in Addiction and Disparities
04:15 – Filter Risks and Plastic Fiber Inhalation
04:40 – Marketing, Packaging, and Perception Manipulation
04:58 – Implications for Clinical Practice and Public Health
05:20 – Final Thoughts: Cigarettes as Precision Devices