Simply not true, re-quoting an above comment: >Nicotine itself and on its own is relatively harmless to an ex-smoker. Why is this meme so popular on HN? There'

Simply not true, re-quoting an above comment: >Nicotine itself and on its own is relatively harmless to an ex-smoker. Why is this meme so popular on HN? There's nothing 'harmless' about it, and a few minutes of Googling makes that incredibly clear. Even in the absence of tobacco compounds, nicotine unquestionably wreaks havoc on pulmonary and cardiovascular function, and promotes vascular calcification and arteriosclerosis. It's also implicated as a cause with a plethora of other horrible medical issues.