PRESS RELEASE: AMOUNT OF NICOTINE IN CIGARETTES INCREASED SIGNIFICANTLY SINCE 1998 The amount of nicotine a smoker gets from smoking a cigarette has increased steadily over the past seven years, according to a new report released by the Massachusetts Department of Public Health (DPH). The study found that, regardless of brand, the amount of nicotine that is actually delivered to the smoker’s lungs has increased significantly. The data was collected from reports submitted to DPH from 1998 to 2004 by all tobacco companies that sell cigarettes in the state, as required by Massachusetts General Law Chapter 307B and Department of Public Health Regulations CMR 660.000. Massachusetts is one of only three states in the country to require tobacco companies to submit this information annually.