Nicotine Water May Prove to Be a Draw

Seeing bottles of caffeinated water for sale gave Marshall Thompson the idea for mixing water and nicotine--a product he hopes will appeal to people who can’t smoke at work or while they travel and to those who are trying to quit smoking.

Each 16-ounce bottle of Nicotine Water has 2 milligrams of nicotine, Thompson said. Most cigarettes have 1 milligram each.

The greatest marketing problem, Thompson said, is convincing people that Nicotine Water doesn’t taste like the bottom of a damp ashtray. Thompson doesn’t smoke, but has been the guinea pig for his product and insists it tastes like plain water.

But even though Nicotine Water cuts out the cancer-causing tar and smoke of cigarettes, nicotine has its own harmful, addictive effects, said Dr. Robert Skankey, a retired physician and current president of the Ojai chapter of the American Heart Assn. Nicotine can harm the fetus during pregnancy women and can affect the cardiovascular system, aging and cholesterol levels.

Thompson acknowledges that his product, which has received federal approval, should be used with caution and not consumed by nonsmokers.

A Goleta-based distributor will put the bottles on selected store shelves in Ventura and Santa Barbara counties within a few weeks, when they will begin selling for about 99 cents each to consumers 18 and older.