As more communities have banned smoking in public places to lessen tobacco's effect on public health, most cigarette manufacturers have been increasing nicotine in their products, likely making it more difficult for people to quit. According to Harvard School of Public Health researchers, from 1998 to 2005, nicotine content rose 11.3% in all types of cigarettes, even those branded as light or ultralight. The researchers analyzed 1997 to 2005 data on the smoke yield of nicotine that cigarette makers submitted to the Massachusetts Department of Public Health. The nicotine content of the Camel, Doral, GPC, Kool, Marlboro, Newport, and Salem brands increased significantly, whereas that of Basic and Winston did not. In a press release about the study, Gregory Connolly, director of Harvard's Tobacco Control Research Program, notes, "Our analysis shows that the companies have been subtly increasing the drug nicotine year by year [horizontal ellipsis] without any warning to consumers." Senator Edward Kennedy (D-MA) has proposed legislation that, Connolly says, would "bring the tobacco industry under the rules that regulate other manufacturers of drugs." The report is available at http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nicotine/trends.pdf.

Carol Potera

NewsCAP

NLN creates an academy. The National League for Nursing announced that it will form the Academy of Nursing Education to acknowledge members who have contributed to excellence in nursing education. The deadline for applications for the first class of fellows is May 21. Information is available at http://www.nln.org/excellence/academy/index.htm.