sentences:  Nicotine itself, however, is addictive but not otherwise very harmful, as shown by the long history of people safely using nicotine replacement therapy products (e.g., nicotine gum, nicotine patch).Nicotine increases heart rate and blood pressure and has a range of local irritant effects but does not cause cancer.None of the three main causes of death from smoking—lung cancer, COPD and cardiovascular disease—is caused primarily by nicotine.