In its final days of authority, the Biden administration is anticipated to formally suggest a restriction on nicotine in cigarettes. This move is seen as a last-minute effort to counter the tobacco industry after President Joe Biden was unable to fulfill a longstanding promise to prohibit menthol cigarettes.
The proposal, expected to be announced as early as Monday, is unlikely to encompass tobacco products like e-cigarettes or nicotine replacement patches and lozenges.
Erika Sward, assistant vice president of national advocacy for the American Lung Association, described the proposal as a significant step or a way to kickstart a proposal in the administration’s closing days.
While the toxins from combustible tobacco are responsible for the chronic illnesses and deaths linked to smoking, it is nicotine that initiates addiction and sustains it.
Specific details of the plan to limit nicotine levels have not been disclosed. However, various studies have indicated that levels may need to be reduced by as much as 95% to make them minimally or non-addictive.
Dr. Rose Marie Robertson, science and medical officer of the American Heart Association, hailed the potential impact of the FDA’s historic action on public health.
Cigarette smoking is the primary cause of preventable diseases and deaths in the U.S., claiming over 480,000 lives annually, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Most smokers start during their teenage years. Sward believes that making cigarettes less addictive could save millions of lives.
A 2018 FDA study estimated that capping nicotine would prevent 16 million new smokers by 2060, with the number rising to 33.1 million by 2100.
If the proposed rule is released next week, it is expected to take several years to be finalized.
Yolonda C. Richardson, president and CEO of the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, expressed that limiting nicotine in cigarettes would be transformative in combating chronic diseases like cancer and cardiovascular diseases, which significantly impact health in the U.S.
During President-elect Donald Trump’s first term, the FDA publicly discussed limiting nicotine levels, with then-Commissioner Dr. Scott Gottlieb proposing to regulate nicotine in combustible cigarettes to make them minimally or non-addictive.
Gottlieb emphasized the importance of reducing smoking rates to enhance public health and decrease chronic diseases, stating that reducing smoking rates could be one of the most impactful actions to improve public health in the country.
