Combustible tobacco-free cigarettes containing a nicotine analogue: a dangerous design to counter smoking regulations?

Tobacco-free or ‘herbal’ combustible cigarettes usually contain non-tobacco plant matter from hemp, tea or other plants. Although they may resemble conventional tobacco cigarettes and contain similar additives and flavourants, including menthol, they would not be expected to be addictive due to the lack of nicotine.1

In May 2026, we discovered a US-based website promoting an herbal cigarette product that appears to contain the nicotine analogue, 6-methyl nicotine (6MN) (figure 1A).2 The product brand name is ‘Choice Smokes’, marketed by Signature Brands of America LLC registered in Miami, Florida.2 3 The company’s web store charges $45.00 ($4.50 per pack) for a carton of 10 packs (20 cigarettes each), sold in either ‘regular’ or ‘menthol’ flavour with no tax added (figure 1B).2 This price is significantly lower than a pack of tobacco cigarettes that costs $10.15 on average across…

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